A Fallen Light
by Abisian
Summary: Completed! Metropolis is in even more turmoil than before, only now they have bigger problems, including Red's devious new plan and Rock's deceitful ways [last chap. uploaded]
1. Fallen Priorities

Disclaimer: -_-' I really have to do this, don't I . . .? Okay, I don't own Metropolis, Rock, Duke Red, the Marduks, or anything else having to really do with the movie. Halo, Kenna, Fern, Karen, the 'boys', and the plot line are mine. 

The actions are different than the movie, including the deaths of certain people, the statue, theories, etc., and are in no way a part of the movie. Enjoy. ^_^;

I'm proud of me! I've redone some of this chapter! It's a little short, and I didn't change much, and I still don't like it, but reread it . . . Please? 

Rock has met a girl, yet both belong to two very different political parties. When they are both faced with the option of running away or dyeing, nothing will stop them from pleasing their respective representatives. What is a poor boy to do? (yeah, I know, sucky summary, but I'll change it to something better if requested)

Metropolis: Falling Light

Chapter 1. Fallen Priorities

Rock had no idea where he was. Everything around him seemed to be lifeless, except the occasional Albert II running around. It was pitch black through the alleys of which he was on duty. Any Zone offenders were to be shot down immediately, but no such vermin seemed to be out that night. 

No light leaked in through the cramped roofs high above him, but it was like this in nearly every back-alley of Metropolis; cramped, small, filthy, and infested were the highest words he could think of that came close to describing the grime they called Back-Alley. 

Back-Alley IV. This was only the second time he had patrolled this place, but even on his second time there still seemed to be nothing around. 

The tower-like clock that had been perched under the steep of the tall, narrow building that loomed over him struck eleven o' clock pm. He had been around Back-Alley since about five. Six hours. Now only three remained and Rafe would be in to take his place. 

Rock sighed and plopped himself heavily down, loaded with the weight of the day. The snow that crunched beneath him he seemed not to feel. He knew it was there, yet he felt numb. He tossed his gun from his hand limply and it landed mere inches from his palm. He glanced at it, put his head against the brick wall, and sighed again. The wall was probably filthy, he knew, but he couldn't have cared much less. 

Only moments later he heard a roar and his eyes snapped open. He grabbed his gun and was standing when a light blazed brightly his way. Duke Red's car had pulled into Back-Alley and the Duke himself stood behind his car door. He glared almost menacingly at Rock, ignoring the look of complete shock, confusion, and amazement at his "father." 

"Duke, sir!" Rock stood ready, saluting. 

It wasn't but a moment later that the Duke sharply said, "At ease," and was making his way toward Rock. His driver had rushed out of the car and was holding an umbrella over Duke Red's head to prevent the snow from covering him. 

"Oh, go away!" Duke Red shouted at the man.

"Yes, sir," came the small reply and the short, fat man began to shuffle away back to the car. Duke Red, however, stopped in front of Rock.

"Rock, do you mind telling me why you were not at the town dinner meeting this evening?" Duke Red was trying to keep his voice low and un-disturbing to the public, but it was almost obvious that he boiled with anger. 

"S-sir, if you don't mind my asking, but what do you mean?"

"I do in fact mind, but the dinner meeting with Boone and Ratliffe. It was very important to me and I spoke with you about it more than a week ago."

"But, sir, I was told I had duty tonight. And Rafe wasn't going to come to relieve me until two, sir."

"Yes, well, it will relieve me when you get your priorities in order." Duke Red turned away from Rock, his black cloak swinging around in the winter wind. "And I'm having people over at the manor tomorrow night. It's another business meeting, so don't bother to show up before ten in the evening unless your staying for dinner."

"Yes, sir!" Rock saluted again and Red began to walk off. When they had driven away Rock sighed and looked up. A light had been turned on in one of the windows of the tower. The light was a flashlight, which a girl was shining down at him. 

"Do you mind me asking if you could keep it down out there? My friends are sleeping."

As you should be, Rock thought. 

"Why aren't you asleep?" Rock called out.

"I was about to, and I really need it. I have business later."

"What business?"

"My own."

Rock could have made some remark about being in higher authority because he was a Marduk, but he chose to bite his lip . . . Quite literally. When he began to whisper curses at himself for biting so hard, the girl laughed. 

"Just a minute." The girl and the light disappeared from the window. Rock was taking his glove off and putting a finger to his lip to have the blood spread onto his numb fingertip when she finally came downstairs with the candle and what looked like a cloth of some sort. "Here."

She shoved it into Rock's hand and he put it to his lip.

"Sorry if I woke your friends," Rock said in a muffled voice.

"No, no. They sleep like rocks, anyway." 

Rock noticed her eyes really were a deep emerald color, and they matched her so well. Her black, glossy hair fell like silk across her shoulders. She wore a long (knee-length), black trenchcoat (-looking thingy) over what looked like nothing, as he saw no hem or collar. She wasn't even wearing any shoes!

"I see you're a Marduk."

Rock nodded. "So you've heard of us."

"Who hasn't? Who hasn't heard your guns go off shooting at the innocent robots? Who hasn't heard of the pathetic, murderous reputation you hold?"

Rock looked angry and embarrassed, and somewhat shocked that this human could be on the side of robots . . . Or seem to be taking their side.

"Do you support robots?" He said this menacingly. The girl eyed the gun and hesitated before saying,

"I meant nothing by it." He watched her as she began to walk back to the door of the building. "Wait, wait." He ran to her and blocked the doorway. 

"What are you doing?"

"Let me take you out for a drink. You had time to help me, you have time to accompany me to a bar for say . . . ten minutes. I'll buy."

"Why should I? You could be some lecherous-"

"But I'm not."

The girl was on the brink of saying something else, but his eyes looked so puppy-like that she couldn't say anything along the line of a polite (or, in her case, impolite) refusal. 

"Fine. Let me go up real quick and I'll be back down."

While she went up, Rock checked his pockets to make sure he still had some money from duty the night before. When he had stuffed the bills back in his pocket she was back down, wearing shoes, flashlight-less, and more or less exasperated. 

A/N: Ack, it was shorter than I though! 


	2. Fallen Defenses

Okay, here it is! I've redone the chapter, most of it, because I didn't like it. Reread it because a few things are different. 

Metropolis: Fallen Light

Chapter 2. Fallen Defenses

"So . . . What's your name?"

Rock was going on his third drink, the girl was going on her fifth.

"Halo. Halo Silo Kane. Any of those three names would suffice." She laughed loudly, seemingly for no reason, but it wouldn't have mattered anyway; no one was in the bar except Halo, Rock, the bartender, and two Upper-city robot cops in for their one o' clock drink- something they referred to as a "wake-up call."

"So, mystery-man, what's your name?" Halo went in for another shot and spilled some of the bottle's contents on her hand.

"Uh . . . Rock."

"You sound uncertain."

"Nah. It's Rock." He gulped down some more of his drink and looked at the clock above the bar. "Uh-oh. One-thirty."

"It can't be! We only came in here around- hiccup- eleven thirty."

"Yeah, well, crap happens. Let's, uh . . ." Rock looked at her gulping down the glass. "Let's get you home."

Halo looked at him with stern eyes.

"I'm not drunk, Rock. I'm perfectly sober." Rock raised one eyebrow as she helped herself off the barstool, but released his hold on doubt when she snatched her coat from him. Under that coat she had been wearing short shorts and a shirt that was a little big for her. When Rock payed for the drinks and they had stepped outside, Rock stopped to wait for Halo to tie the sash around the overcoat she wore. 

"Where to?" 

"Anywhere but home."

Rock looked at her as she looked ahead, her face firm, her features troubled, her warm, green eyes icy. Rock was rather tempted to ask her why not, but he felt he shouldn't pry. 

"Actually . . . I do have a meeting to go to." Rock looked at her again. 

"Where at?"

"Zone Three."

Rock wrinkled his nose. Zone Three, huh? Rock didn't like the sound of that.

"Well . . . The least you can do is let me walk you down there."

"I don't think that's such a great idea."

"Why not?"

Rock looked rather hurt, but Halo looked up at him and smiled. She then cocked her head slightly to one side and reached up for his sunglasses.

"Why do you wear these? It's not even snowing right now."

Rock took them back and looked at them.

"Well . . . I really don't know." 

Halo smiled more broadly and said, to Rock's humiliation, "Your eyes are too pretty to hide." With that she turned from him and began to walk in the direction of the Zone One gateway (gotta go through Zones One and Two to get to Three ^_^). "I suppose I'll see you some time around, right, Rock?" 

After that the elevator jerked and Halo was being taken down to the Zone. 

Rock turned from the gateway and began to walk in the direction of Back-Alley. When he reached there the clock had already set on two fifteen. About time Rock got back home! Rafe wasn't anywhere in Back-Alley. He had probably gone there and hadn't seen Rock at all, so he probably left. Oh well. No illegally-roaming robots were out when Rock was patrolling anyway. 

"Oops," Rock thought. He discarded his thought, however, when he reached the open town square of Metropolis. It was completely blanketed in snow, not a soul alive was out on the streets, and the lights looked almost black through the thick swirls. Soon enough, however, he was bending over with his hands on his knees, gasping for breath, on the front step of Duke Red's manor. 

"Rock?" Duke Red's cook, Till, stood at the door, watching him. "Come on in here and go up to your room before Duke Red wakes up." Till closed the door as Rock began to climb the stairs. "And don't bother getting a shower until morning, you must wake up at seven, you know. 

Great, then I'll have four hours of restless sleep, Rock thought sarcastically. His hand glided smoothly up the handrail as he slowly walked. His room, of course, was set up on the third floor of Red's house, away from the main living quarters. Rock didn't really mind; he liked his small solitude. 

Rock also liked his small room, and when he opened the door he realized how little he appreciated maids. He liked his room to seem small and cramped, only the maids always felt like they had to come in and clean up. 

When he stepped in the doorway he un-buckled his low holster belt and placed it on the dresser, which stood tall next to the door. He closed the door behind himself and locked it, then took off his shirt and boots and collapsed onto the bed. 

"Damn my generosity," he said sleepily, closing his eyes. "I really- yawn- shouldn't have gone out for drinks with her." Not long after that his snores could be faintly heard.

~*~ Somewhere other than Rock's room~*~

"I don't like the looks of him."

"Kenna, you don't like the looks of any Marduk."

"He's a Marduk?!"

"Yeah. You were spying on me anyway, I should think you would have noticed the symbol."

"Halo Kane, you know the rules!"

"So do you, yet you never follow them!"

Kenna went silent and heard a moan from the room where his sisters and nephews were sleeping. Halo had recently gotten back from the meeting in Zone Three, and Kenna had been woken by her tripping over the doorstep . . . Again.

"But what I do is strictly for political purposes. You and I both know it."

"Well, how do you know I didn't just see the Marduk symbol and decide to use Rock to my advantage?"

"You were never a good liar. Besides, you're not manipulative enough." 

"How would you know?!" 

Halo and Kenna always got into arguments like these. Often Kenna won, but Halo felt this one was leaning towards being completely random and right out of "left field." 

"Kenna, give it up, this is going no where."

"No! Admit it, you're not a good liar and I argue better than you!" 

(-_-;) "Fine. I forfeit." 

Halo began to walk back into Fern's room. Kenna, her "ex-boyfriend," was never satisfied until he got exactly what he wanted. The only time Halo could remember he didn't get what he wanted was when Karen, his sister, got knocked up and she wouldn't allow him to kick the guy's ass who ran out on her. 

"Still . . . He's good at what he does." Halo said this sleepily as she climbed under the covers on the floor beside Fern. Not long after that she was asleep as well.

A/N: Okay, yeah, I know, it sucked, but I'm having a rush here and my next two exams are this week and, well, I'm rushing. It's not nearly as interesting now as it will be AFTER the next couple o' chapters, but be patient, I'm workin' on it. I've got billions of other things to do.


	3. Fallen Rain

Heeey! Thank you, Liz M! I've read some of your work, and I must say I'm impressed! I'm just waiting for you to update one . . . I think it was After the Fall of Angels or something like that. ^.^ Anyways, I know, my character (Halo) is a little . . . Mary-Sue(ish) right now, but I hope I can clear something up . . . And I'm trying to make this a little longer . . .

And another thing . . . I've seen lots of spellings of Marduk, such as "Marduk" and Malduk" but since I like it better the way I've been spelling it, it will stay that way in this story, ok? And the same for Zigguraut . . . Although that isn't even IN this story . . . 

Metropolis: Fallen Light

Chapter 3. Fallen Rain

The little bit of light that came through the tiny window shone down into the room. Rock, who's face was full with that little sunbeam, turned over and jammed a pillow over his head. Only did he get up when his alarm clock began to ring. He leaned up, his hair disheveled, and picked up the clock. Only six thirty. 

Damn it all . . . Damn it all to Hell, Rock thought, throwing the clock under his bed. He had just lie back down when Till knocked on the door.

"WHAT?!" Rock yelled.

"Hmph. Breakfast is ready and Duke Red is waiting."

"Waiting for what?" Till only barely heard what he said through his muffled voice. 

"For you, dummy, what do you think?"

The next thing Till knew Rock was standing in the doorway and glaring down at her sternly. 

"Fine, I'm coming." Rock went and got a quick shower, wondering when in Hell he would be able to sleep again.

Halo yawned and sat up. 

"Come on!" Kenna pulled her to her feet.

"What?"

"Let's go."

"Go where?"

Halo looked at Fern and Karen and the three children, who still slept peacefully.

"We have a meeting."

"I wasn't told."

"Well now you were. Go get dressed."

Halo did as she was told, and when she was ready she and Kenna left the tower. They walked silently through Back-Alley and Halo noticed that it wasn't snowing. In fact, the sun was shining through the small gaps in the cramped rooftops. 

"What is this meeting for?"

"I believe we're going to the town's mansion to meet with Duke Red and the head Marduks to try and work a few things out. Especially pertaining to robots. He allows those damn Marduk to kill all those innocent robots. They act like they are inferior to us."

"What are you going to do about it?"

"I dunno yet." 

"Well . . . Where are we going?"

"The manor, of all places. I would have thought it'd be somewhere else in Back-Alley or a restaurant or something like that, but apparently I was wrong and he wanted to keep this all secret."

"Well, Kenna, it could ruin his reputation. And . . . What if it's a trick? Or even if he is ashamed of us because of . . . Well . . ." Halo looked down at herself. Her clothes didn't actually define her more sociable side. 

"Ah, don't worry about it. Who cares what he or any of his Marduk think?"

Halo fell silent. She didn't like being different from all the other humans. Most of the other humans were against robots, unlike a small group of them, which included Kenna, Karen, Fern, and herself. They were against the Marduk and their kind of government. 

"Well, this is apparently it."

Halo looked up. She had been standing on the doorstep of Duke Red's mansion and hadn't even noticed. Kenna knocked and some lady opened the door. She looked at them with one raised eyebrow, but proceeded to let them in. She led them down a long corridor and to a room. She opened the door as well and stood aside to bid them entrance.

"Duke Red, your party is here."

"Thank you, Till."

Duke Red sat at the end of a long table, two figures standing with their arms beside them behind him, looking straight ahead, standing in the shadows.

"You may sit."

Duke Red indicated two seats to his right. Halo and Kenna sat in them, Halo closest to Red. She heard one of the figures behind him, supposedly two head Marduk, shift his weight on his feet.

Halo looked away from the Marduk and back to Duke Red.

"I know your political leader sent me a protest."

"Yes, sir," Kenna said.

"About robots, is it?" Duke Red eyed Halo, although asking this of Kenna.

"Yes, sir," replied Kenna nervously. 

"Tell me, why is it that you want to prevent my Marduk from destroying robots who are breaking and evading the Law?"

"Well, sir, robots are mostly like human, we believe they should be treated as equals. I'm not saying it's a good thing that they are taking humans' jobs, it's just there could be a limit to them in town."

"That's what we have Zone One, Zone Two, Zone Three, Back-Alley, and Upper-level for."

"I beg your pardon, sir, but I didn't mean that. I meant to allow the robots the freedom they want and be able two walk freely with equal rights among humans of Upper-level and Back-Alley. Just because they're artificial doesn't mean they have to become slaves."

"We've programmed robots for specific duties and robots that run astray. Those that oppose the Law are set to die in any case-"

"But you created them, why destroy them?!" Halo had stood now and was staring sternly at Duke Red, who stared back with an equally cold glare. The two Marduk who stood behind the Duke now stepped up protectively. Halo looked at them, irritated, but her eyes widened and she gasped.

"Rock?" 

"That didn't go over so well," Kenna said, looking up at the clear blue sky.

"Sorry 'bout that."

"Ah, it's okay. President Harbin will just have to schedule another meeting for us."

"Why doesn't he just schedule a personal meeting for Duke Red and himself?"

"Harbin isn't in Metropolis. Hell, he isn't even on the same continent. You really think he'll fly all the way over here just to have a stupid meeting with the Duke when he could just get us to do it? Halo . . . Don't ask stupid questions."

Kenna began to walk away and Halo watched him.

"It's wasn't a stupid question, it was an honest question out of curiosity!"

"It was stupid!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Forfeit." 

Halo didn't feel like arguing with him and making him feel better about himself. Instead she decided to just roam Metropolis, maybe even go and see Zone Three.

Rock sighed and looked at the door which he had just stepped in front of five minutes ago. Duke Red was waiting for him on the other side of that door, and Rock felt a heated verbal attack coming his way. 

He knocked on the door . . .

And turned the knob . . .

And pushed it open. 

"Ah, Rock. I've been waiting. Come in."

Um . . . Okay, Rock thought moving into the room and shutting the door behind him. It was incredibly warm in that room, especially for the uniform Rock wore.

"You didn't know that little rat of a girl, did you?"

"Yes, sir, I met her in Back-Alley on duty."

"Ah. And tell me, are you friends?"

Rock paused a minute, then continued.

"No, sir."

"Well, she certainly seemed . . . Interesting. Even a little . . . gullible."

"Sir, you're not thinking of . . ."

"Ah, but Rock, don't great minds think alike." Duke Red gave a laugh. "You may leave."

Rock stood there for a moment then gathered himself and walked from the room. 

He stopped on the steps to the mansion, snow still covering a thin layer over the stone. 

Outside it had begun to rain, most of the snow already melted. Tiny stocks of grass were showing through the thin layers and the sidewalk could now be seen. 

Rock started down the narrow street until he came to the more crowded part of town. Rock could see no robots out on the street . . . Although . . . Wait . . . He pulled his gun out of its holster and held it up, firing a single shot. It reverberated off of a metal figure, and Rock knew at once when it began to run it was a robot out of its Zone .

Rock began to chase after it, pushing people harshly out of his way. It headed to that secret gate leading to Zone Two and Rock followed it all the way down . . . Running through the huge crowd in Zone Two, Rock wasted a lot of bullets for that one robot as he was led down into Zone Three. Rock, although out of breath on teetering on the edge of giving up, was still in hot pursuit of the criminal robot. 

He was rather surprised when it stopped. He had his gun pointed at it, but only a moment before he was about to squeeze the trigger he was knocked off his feet and to the ground. Him and this seemingly small, light figure rolled across the ground, Rock fighting to get up and get his gun back, and the other one trying exactly the opposite. 

When the figured squealed he knew it was a girl. He rolled her over, pinning her down, and stared menacingly down into her eyes through his glasses and his mouth dropped slightly open and his eyes widened behind those shades as he recognized her as Halo Silo Kane. 

"You!"

"Get off me!" she screamed at him, her voice very high pitched. She pushed him forcefully, although he didn't budge, but he moved off anyway. 

"What the Hell do you think you're doing?" said Rock as he stood and walked a few feet to retrieve his gun. 

"My job."

"Which would be?"

"To stop you asses from shooting every robot off the planet!" Halo stood up, but then her angry face twisted to form the look of dismay. "Although I don't really know why. It's not like you or your Marduks will stop anyway. Duke Red's government is far too powerful for us to fully stop the hatred and the unruly treatment you give the robots. They were created by you, programmed by you, and destroyed by you. It's merely a pointless war." She turned from Rock and prepared to walk away. "Are you coming?"

Rock hesitated then followed her. She led him back up to the Upper-city level of Metropolis and stood there, just beyond the outer gate. 

"You see, the robots in Upper-city Metropolis are treated more fairly than those of Zones One or Two. They have more meaning than to 'just take up space' as you would put it. There are robots here to clean and take care of the city, much better than an ordinary human could do. But those are basic robots. The far more advanced robots, like the ones programmed for actual work such as police, detective, carpenter, and the like are treated inferior because they look like us, act like us, take our work, but are NOT like us. They're artificial, artificial everything. They can barely even think for themselves.

"And then you have the ones who are 'strays.' They do think for themselves and they're tormented for it. Because they want to think and act freely on their own and be different and treated highly you and your Marduks and your government think that they are breaking the Law. This is not true. Just because they're different and want to do what they want doesn't make them criminals and doesn't make them eligible for de-programming or being shot beyond recognition." She paused for a moment and turned back to him. "The racism is so thick and variated it makes me sick." 

Halo walked out from under the cover of the gate and stood on the sidewalk. Rock didn't know how to respond to her. Was this really what Halo was about? Protecting all robots from him or his Marduks? He saw her looking up at the sky as he pondered this, then she spoke again. 

"Peace or pacifism is like rain in Metropolis . . . It never comes."

Author's Notes: I know, it sucked. It's a little longer though!! ^.^; Anyway, I can hear that little purple button at the bottom of your screen saying 'push me! push me!' so push away! remember, the word is review here, folks! so review! it would make me so happy. And THANK YOU to those who have reviewed my poem Human to Robot and my Rock one-shot Waking to Hell. I really appreciate it. But keep those reviews coming! I know you hear this a lot, but the more reviews, the bigger my confidence and the faster I update! 


	4. Fallen Superiority

Very disappointed! I NEED reviews for survival! Okay, maybe not really, but I'd like them. I put out another poem called Walking Over the Dead and it's about Zigguraut Tower. In the past three chapters I put one more gap between paragraphs that phased into a different setting. I think from this chapter on I might put a symbol or something between the gaps to cause less confusion. Anyway . . .

ONWARDS!

Metropolis: Fallen Light

Chapter 4. Fallen Superiority 

Kenna had departed from Halo a few hours ago, but now he felt kind of guilty.

Why do I always have to make her mad? he thought, walking along the dirty, grimy sidewalks of Back-Alley VII.

"It's that damn Marduk," he muttered under his breath. "She's just always thinking about him, what about me, Karen, and Fern and the boys, huh?" He looked ahead from staring at the sidewalk. People were crowding inside of little pubs and resting spots and around their doors. Kenna felt . . . Alone in Back-Alley . . . Alone without company . . . Alone without her.

He shook his head roughly.

"Nah . . . It's over. What am I thinking? This is just business."

He stopped in front of a near-empty bar and looked over at the dark doorway, the doors held open by a block of wood. He started walking through those dark and open doors and saw very few people there. The bartender, making squeaking noises as he wiped the glasses dry, and then a few people sitting in booths smoking, sleeping, or reading the newspaper. 

Kenna glanced around and then timidly and cautiously, as though one of the people were to lash out at him, and started toward the bar. He reached into his pocket, brought out a couple of bills; he threw them on the bar and looked at the tender.

"Half-glass beer, original, doesn't matter what brand." The tender nodded, set the cup upside down on the end of the bar, and set to making the drink. Kenna had made sure he sat to where his back was away from the door, but so he was away from those people- he sat on the far left bend of the bar. 

When the tender emerged with his drink about two minutes later, Kenna stared at it and took a couple of gulps. 

The bartender went back to wiping glasses.

It became kind of peaceful on the outside, but inside Kenna's mind nothing was peaceful. Why did he have this bad feeling whenever the Marduk was around Halo? Was it because he was a Marduk and they were political enemies? Or was it just jealousy . . . over . . . Kenna shook his head again, this time hard enough to attract the attention of the tender.

"Somethin' wrong?" he said gruffly, as if daring Kenna to say the beer was bad.

"N- no," Kenna said, almost timidly. His eyes slid away from the bartender to look out the large glass window. The streets were far more empty than any part of Back-Alley had ever been, that's for sure. This was saying something, as a vast majority of Metropolitan-s lived in the many sections of Back-Alley. 

Kenna finished off the last of his beer and hopped of the barstool and walked out the door, in a more relaxed manner. 

Back-Alley sections IV, V, VI, and VII were the only sections of twelve Back-Alleys that had a non-domed covering, meaning they were exposed to the sky. The only thing Kenna didn't like was he was so used to being able to rely on the sun instead of artificial lighting; it annoyed him how much the roofs were cramped to the point hardly any light could leak through. 

Kenna didn't spend much time worrying about this, though, as he came to the main Upper-city Metropolis. Ahead and around the corner he heard voices. 

"But what's the real point of making the robots then destroying them? It's like a never-ending battle with no solution."

"Well . . . You've got to admit, it kind of fits in with Metropolis."

Unfortunately, Kenna recognized them. 

"But, Rock, it's like a loop. You create them, they do humans' jobs, humans hate them for it, humans order you to destroy them, you order humans to create more, and so on and on forever! Where does it stop?"

"When they're all gone?"

It sounded more like a question than an official answer. Halo laughed. 

"Weren't you listening to a word I said?"

Kenna peeked around the corner and saw Rock's back turned toward him. Halo must have been standing in front of him. He narrowed his eyes to just about seemingly shut. Just seeing Rock there made some deep-down feelings boil up in Kenna: jealousy for Halo, anger for his thoughts of killing the mere robots, and hatred for being anti-robotical . . . Kenna was, after all, at least part robot. 

He sped around the corner and prepared himself for the jump. Rock turned at the last second and was belted backwards, full force, in the stomach. They smashed through empty crates and crates full of fruits and vegetables. Rock tried pushing Kenna off, but for some reason he was way too strong. They rolled out into the street, where people moved, staring, out of their way. They struggled against each other, rolling further down, back again, and then rolling some more. 

Halo's pleas to Kenna to stop and for Rock to get off were only faintly heard by the fierce man and the furious boy. 

Finally Rock got Kenna off guard and was able to stand up, wet from the rain and little bit of snow left on the ground, and pointed his gun at Kenna, who was panting. 

"Rock, no!" Halo ran to Rock and put a hand on his hand to lower his gun. "Don't." Rock had a split lip and a shallow cut under his left eye. Kenna had thrown off his coat and Rock noticed how both arms were metal- Kenna was part robot. 

"Explains how you held on so tight," Rock said, still rather angry. He put the gun back in his holster. "Not fair to cheat." He gave a shallow yet brutal-looking smirk. Both Kenna and Halo knew what that little smirk meant; Rock was off to tell Duke Red how a local group of stir-ups wanted enslaved robots freed because one was part robot.

"You wouldn't dare," Kenna hissed.

"You're right, I'm not. That would be cheating, wouldn't it?"

"Is that all this is to you, a game!?"

"No. It's much more than that . . . It's a game, all right . . . A game of war." Rock gave his hollow, self-amused laugh and turned to begin walking off, then he noticed Halo. Her eyes were brimming with tears, shame, and guilt.

Tears, shame, and guilt . . . All in two profound emeralds . . . 

Rock chuckled and looked away from her, then began to walk toward the gateway. Few people still stared, yet most had gone away to do whatever business they had to tend to.

*~*~*

"You were rather childish."

"ITAI!"

"Well, you shoudn't have done it! Just because you have stronger . . . er . . . arms than he does, doesn't mean he can't beat you in a fight."

"I KNOW THAT!"

"Quit yelling, you baby. All he did was scrape you against dried stone."

Halo was rather firmly applying pressure to Kenna's badly scraped back with a cloth soaked in alcohol. 

"You don't have to push so hard."

"Oh, be quiet!"

"Well, you don't!"

Halo picked up the thin, empty tin pan she had used to carry cloths and whacked him over the head with it. He flinched and jerked slightly, making her drag the cloth over his scrapes.

"NOW SHUT UP!"

"What's going on?"

Karen emerged in the doorway.

"Your stupid brother is being a baby."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Ah, you're doing it again!"

"Am not."

"Are too!" 

Kenna was about to retort [again] but Halo closed her eyes.

"Drop it. I'm not going to argue, bec-" She stopped, not wanting to cause [another] argument because she had said she knew she was right.

"Well, what happened to him?" Karen said with a laugh. 

"He got caught in- or rather caused- a scuffle with Rock, the head Marduk."

"Ohh. Kenna!"

"That's not the bad part. He saw me . . . Now he'll go tell Duke Red-" Kenna was cut off as Halo dropped the pan and the cloths.

"No he won't!"

"How would you know?"

"Rock said he wouldn't. He's not one to lie."

"And again, how would you know?"

"How would you not?"

This time it was Kenna who decided to drop the subject. Halo finished wrapping the bandages around his chest to cover that one rather large area before another word was said.

"Halo . . . Why do you like Rock?"

*~*~*

"Rock! What on earth-?"

Rock slammed the front manor door as he walked through it. Till stared in amazement and shock as he un-buckled his holster and threw it down, then began to march up the stairs; he did all this without stopping. 

When he finally came to his room, he opened the door and slammed it as though infuriated at something, but when he threw himself face-first into his pillow, there was a very decipherable smirk on his face, one that might suggest he had some kind of devious plan twisting and turning through his mind.

*~*~*

With tired eyes she stared at the far wall. Tired eyes, emeralds pooling in her tired face, the left one surrounded by a bruise. Tired eyes that leaked silent tears down her cheek or across her chin and onto the off-white pillow. 

After a moment she stood and walked silently to the window. Leaning against the frame she stared off into the distant light of another building. She brought her fingers up to the left side of her face and gently brushed the purple-blue marking[s] with her fingers. 

Kenna had hit her. 

Halo tried to think back to the heated conversation between them. It had started off okay, but it had been pushed a little too far.

*Flashback . . . *

"Halo . . . Why do you like Rock?"

Halo's eyes widened in shock and surprise.

"Why are you asking me? What's it to you?"

"I just wanna know."

Halo lowered her eyes to the cloth she still held in her hands. Why was Kenna asking her this? It wasn't that she liked Rock, she just felt comfortable around him . . .

Or is that just what I think? she thought to herself. 

"I'm just asking a simple question."

"I'm just asking why you really care? Are you jealous or something?"

"I just don't think he's safe to be around, that's all."

"You picked the fight with him! That doesn't make you any better!"

Halo looked at him. He was lying, it was written plainly all over him. 

"You don't like him because he's a Marduk, right? You're afraid something will happen to you if I'm around him too much . . . Afraid we'll get to close and get us all for his government, right? Kenna, it's not like that. We're just friends. And if you're jealous you should just say so! No one's gonna care."

Halo looked over at Karen, who shrugged and left the room. 

"That's not it at all!"

"Don't argue with me! I know you too well, Kenna."

"You don't know shit about me!"

Halo was taken aback by his retort. This was only partly true, though. Halo had known him a long time and had dated him long enough to know plenty about his greedy side. 

"I don't want you hanging around that damned Marduk! It's too dangerous!"

"How's it dangerous, huh? He won't shoot a human, humans aren't his problem! He's only an anti-robot. That's part of his government!"

"He's not against normal people, but us he'll kill, I assure you!"

"But how can you know?"

"Haven't you listened to ANYTHING?!" Kenna was enraged and Halo was beginning to cower in his wake. He advanced on her, still yelling. "We support robots, he doesn't! If it keeps from running a coup or empowering our form of government and carrying more supporters, he will come after us, him and his whole damned Marduk army!"

"You just-"

That's when he did it. Kenna brought the back of his left hand across the left side of her face. He fell to her knees, looking up at him with one hand clasped over her cheek and eye. He stared at her menacingly and stormed into the next room, slamming the door behind him. 

*End flashback . . .*

The door opened behind her but Halo didn't have to turn to know who it was. She flinched slightly when he closed the door. To tell the truth, she was slightly afraid of being in the same room with him alone. 

She felt him wrap his arms around her waist and she tensed at his very touch, trying to pull away from him.

"Come on, don't be like that," he said seductively in her ear. "You know I didn't mean to-"

"Yes you did. Stupid bastard, just go away."

He tightened his grip on her. If only she could turn around and slap him. 

"What do you want?"

"To say I'm sorry."

"But you're NOT sorry, Kenna. You're not sorry."

"Can you forgive me?"

"No. I won't, I refuse. I won't accept your pathetic apology either." If only she could go and see Rock . . .

"Come on, Halo." He increased his grip further and nuzzled into her hair. He pulled her into him and she tried again to pull away, but he was too powerful. "Come on . . ." 

There goes that damn seductive voice again. Halo couldn't resist him. He was pulling her with him . . . Back onto the bed. He turned her around and ground his mouth against his, forcing hers open. She tried to wrench herself away from his tight grasp, but to no avail. 

"Let go of me," she said weakly. Then, murmuring, "Rock . . ."

*~*~*

The snow was completely gone when Rock stepped into the park for a rest. He walked weakly to sit on the bench. Or at least he would have, if someone wasn't already occupying it.

He walked over to her and peered down at her, her eyes closed. 

"Halo?" he said. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up at him, her eyes seemingly full of sorrow.

"Rock . . . I've been wondering if you would come around here or not."

"You mean you've been waiting for me?"

Halo nodded.

"How long for?"

"Two hours . . . Maybe. I lost track."

Rock's face seemed sort of concerned for her, seeing the bruise by her left eye and one that seemed freshly formed by her mouth.

"What happened to you?" Rock kneeled down and put a hand to her larger bruise. 

"Oh, that? I . . . um . . . I fell. I tripped a step coming down from the tower yesterday."

Rock didn't believe her but didn't say anything. 

"What are you doing around here?" Rock asked, standing to sit next to her. 

"I . . . Rock, I wanted to get away . . . From him."

"Him? You mean Kenna."

Halo nodded again and stared up at the clear sky. Despite the plan Rock had so clearly devised inside his mind, he couldn't help but feel genuine concern for his friend. 

"I know he hit you. It's written all over you that he did it. But that's not all that's happened. Tell me. Tell me, Halo." His eyes were stern, full of concern and worry.

"Rock . . ." She looked at him with those shady green eyes that were now brimming with a fresh flow of tears. "Hold me."

Author's Notes: Okay, there it is. Chapter 4. Fast, I know. ^.^ I'm on to chapter 5 now, Fallen Metropolis, but first I must say . . . Please review, not because I just want you to, but because I want you to tell me how my own character (Halo) is moving along in/out of her Mary-Sue stage . . . Pretty please?


	5. Fallen Metropolis

There's going to be a lot of gun-fire and good crap like that between Rock/Kenna/Halo. This chapter's gonna seem weird but it's all gonna fit in with what's gonna happen with the robots. Enjoy.

Metropolis: Fallen Light

Chapter 5. Fallen Metropolis

Kenna eased open his eyes. Karen stood over him with an angry look on her face.

"You're disgraceful!" she hissed at him. He leaned up, wondering what in Hell she could be talking about. Looking around over the bed he sat on he saw Halo was no longer there.

"What're you talkin' about?" he said, now looking back at Karen.

"Damn it, you know what I'm talking about! Halo ran out of here at four in the morning, crying, saying something about how she wished she could never come back. Do you know WHY, Kenna?"

"Uh . . ." Kenna tried his best to look thoughtful and curious. "Well . . . She did hit me over the head with something that felt enough like cast iron." This only served him in receiving a raw slap across the cheek. 

"Kenna, you ass!" Kenna then remembered a few things . . . His shirt was gone and his fly down and unbuttoned. Fortunately enough, nothing had happened between the two (A/N: sorry to disappoint you ^.^).

Kenna sat up straight and looked out the window. Artificial lighting shone clearly through the window. 

"Well . . . Where did she go?"

Karen shrugged. "I dunno. And even if I did I wouldn't tell you." 

*~*~* 

"Rock . . . Hold me."

Rock didn't know how to reply to this, except to pull her close to him. She nuzzled herself into him and wrapped her arms around his upper waist. He knew she was crying; he felt her tears on his shirt.

"I was . . . Scared." Her voice quavered with fear and worry. "I was scared . . . I didn't know what to do . . ."

"What? What do you-" She tightened her grip and pressed her face firmer against him. 

"Don't . . . Don't talk about it. Please." 

Rock respected her plea and didn't say anything more about it.

"You shouldn't let him do that to you."

"He . . . Lost control of his anger, I guess."

Rock gave an irritable sigh. That really wasn't it. Or, well, at least that wasn't all there was to it. 

*~*~*

"She better not be with that damned Marduk." 

Kenna was fitting his shoes back on and putting a holster on to hold a gun. 

"And what're you going to do about it? Kenna, it's over, she hates your guts, no way in Hell you're gonna win her back."

Kenna didn't reply for a minute. Just before he walked out the door he said,

"I know."

Out of the tower, down the road. Kenna was prepared to search everywhere in Metropolis for her. Or at least for HIM. 

The first places Kenna searched was the bottom of Zone Three and Back-Alleys IV- XII. After he sifted through Zones Two and One, then Back-Alleys I- III, the only place left was the whole of Upper-city Metropolis. He dreaded going up there, but he knew he had to . . . For her. 

Kenna walked the sidewalks silently, his gun thankfully covered by his coat, which he wore to cover his arms. He knew what was going to happen. He didn't want to, but he knew.

Arriving at the only other un-searched place in town, he knew they had to be here. The park. He began to run, knowing they were there, knowing they weren't leaving. Finally he got frustrated and called,

"Halo!"

*~*~*

"Did you hear that?"

Halo jerked up.

"What?"

"Kenna. He called my name. He's . . . In the park. He knows I'm here." 

They both stood.

"You wanna run?" Rock suggested. 

"No. He already knows, just let him come. If you want, I'll let you kick his ass."

"Oh, now I get a little action?"

Halo nearly giggled but stopped as she saw Kenna standing maybe seventy-five yards away, pointing what looked like a gun their way. He squeezed the trigger and Rock yelled, 

"Get down!"

Rock shoved Halo out of the way.

"Is he mad? He's shooting at us!"

"No, he's shooting at you." Rock looked at her.

"Thanks, Halo," he said sarcastically. "Well . . . Can I shoot back?" Halo moved out from under him.

"Whatever. I don't care." 

Rock looked at her unsure, but was then thrown back [again] by Kenna (A/N: My, what a sneaky bastard! lol). They went flying over the bench and ended up landing in a furious heap in grass. They wrestled each other madly, then Halo noticed Rock's gun near the fountain- it had been thrown from his grasp when Kenna knocked him over.

Halo walked silently to it, picked it up, made sure the safety was off, and held it up.

"Kenna," she shouted to get his attention. Neither of them stopped so she fired two shots at them, one reverberating off of Kenna's inpenatrable metal arm, the other narrowly missing Rock's left leg. They both stopped, ending the scuffle with Kenna pointing his own gun at Rock's heaving chest. 

"You'll shoot me, Halo?" Kenna said, giving a small laugh of doubt.

"Is that a challenge?"

"It'll be pretty damn hard to kill me."

Halo knew he had a point there. Both arms were all metal and wire, and the right side of his chest was metal plating. 

"I didn't say I wanted to kill you." She moved the gun down, and Kenna noticed just at the last second where she was aiming. "I just want to hurt you." She squeezed the trigger, ripping a fierce hole into his right leg. He flinched and fell over off of Rock, who got up gasping for air. Rock took Kenna's gun, spun the chamber, and took the bullets. He threw them to the concrete ground around the fountain where they rolled into the cracks, disappearing into the earth.

"Give up." Rock threw the gun down, cracking the barrel. Rock took his own gun from Halo and pointed it straight down at him, then he kneeled and hissed silently, "If you don't leave her the Hell alone, trust me to make it painfully personal." He gave an evil-like smirk and stood, putting the gun back in its rightful place. He put his right arm around the base of Halo's back near her waist and began to lead her on out of the park and back to the tower.

"You'll just leave me here then?"

Halo turned to him briefly but didn't say anything, just continued walking.

*~*~*

Rock didn't flinch when Duke Red's hand went across the right side of his face. He rebounded quickly and continued to stand straight.

"You idiot! You had the good chance to nab her and you let her slip right through your fingers!" Rock said nothing as the Duke began to fume with anger. Rock let her go purposely. He had his own little plan.

The Duke had proposed quite a task for Rock: to sort of kidnap Halo so they could commit a coup. Well, that wasn't really good enough for Rock, so he had devised his own little plan: get close to Halo and then . . . Well, that part would come later. 

"But, father, I would have to-"

Duke Red whipped around again and hit him so forcefully that Rock was flung to the ground.

"I don't give a damn! And don't call me father! How many times must I-"

Duke Red stopped as he watched Rock standing and walking from the room. He had learned to tolerate the vicious blows he often received from his father. Sometimes they were completely ignored, just another fight with another robot. But this wasn't how Rock pictured Duke Red at all. Rock considered him more of a father figure, but then again he practically was, considering Rock's situation.

But then again, consider the Duke's.

*~*~*

"Where's Kenna?"

"The park."

"What's he doing there?"

Halo shrugged her shoulders in a rather obvious lie.

"Don't know, don't care."

She slumped herself down into the wooden chair at the table. Fern was washing dishes while Karen made coffee.

"Where're the boys?" Halo said, attempting to change the subject.

"In their room, asleep," came Fern's reply.

Halo looked up at the off-white ceiling. That ugly color formed by nicotine that had been floating around in the air from Kenna and Fern gave the effect that it was a lot of stale milk. Halo was staring up at it with disgust, obviously somewhat fascinated with it. Karen noticed it, because then she forcefully set a large cup of coffee in front of Halo on the table. The loud 'thump' made Halo drop back to reality (oh, there goes gravity . . . A/N: sorry, i'm listening to that song right now and i couldn't resist ^.^).

She looked down into the thin brown substance in that cup and just stared at it.

"It's coffee," she said.

"What, you were expecting coco?" 

Halo shook her head roughly. 

"No . . . I just . . ." She hopped up, ignoring the coffee, and walked out the front door. Fern and Karen looked at each other for a moment, then shrugged.

Halo sat on the top step to the spiral staircase and put her arms around her knees and held them against her chest. Kenna would surely come. And . . . Rock could have finished him off, yet he didn't.

"Maybe Kenna's right. Maybe I can't trust Rock," she murmured to herself. Inside, however, she had totally different feelings. Rock could have killed or hurt her plenty of times and yet he hasn't. If he was aiming to kill her, he would have done it by now, right? Or would he have? Was he planning something, just waiting for the right time?

Halo groaned and began to walk down the stairs. When she neared the door, she heard angry voices outside. She was mere seconds from turning the doorknob when she heard their words.

"The Duke ordered me-"

"You're not going in this door."

A shot rang through the air very vividly and Halo soon her a thump near the door. 

"Move him."

There were then a few groans as two men moved the body from the doorway. The doorknob turned under Halo's hand and the door was wrenched open, throwing her forward and into someone's waiting arms.

Author's Notes: It's slightly shorter, but hey, who cares? Anyway, it's not much of a cliffhangar but it's not exactly who you think it is anyway ^.^ . The guy who owns those 'waiting arms' that is. Anyways, you know what to do, make me happy, praise me, give me your opinions, or . . . well, just review. 


	6. Fallen Robots

Metropolis: Fallen Light

Chapter 6. Fallen Robots

The door was wrenched from her grasp and she fell into someone's arms. Her first impression of the tall and slender person was Rock, but looking up she saw the face of none other than Duke Red.

"Ah, Halo Kane, the exact person I wanted to see." Red put her straight on her feet but took her upper right arm in his steel-firm grasp and led her over to his car. He had a Marduk cuff her and he himself lowered her down to sit in the seat. Turning to the other Marduks that had accompanied him, his said, "Burn it."

"No! Red, are you crazy! There's women and children up there!"

Duke Red looked at her and lowered himself to sit in the seat next to her but didn't say a word until they had begun to drive off.

"Amazing, really, how they both gave in like that. We would have never found you if it weren't for them."

Halo looked sharply and doubtfully at Duke Red. She knew exactly who he was speaking of.

"Rock and Kenna would never have told you where we were."

"Ah, but in fact they did."

"What'd you do, threaten to kill 'em?"

"Ah . . . well, something to that effect." Duke Red gave a small laugh. "A little persuasion didn't harm, either."

"I'm not one to make deals or negotiations, and I'm not persuasive, but if you let me go I'll make sure you'll get off good with President Harbin. It's easy-"

"Look, m'lady, I haven't taken you captive."

"Then what the Hell'd ya cuff me for?"

"A mere caution. Wouldn't want you running away before I've had my say in this little ordeal, now, would we?"

He gave his odd little chuckle again and Halo could only glare at him. He had so far cuffed her, taken her from her tower, BURNED the tower, and LIED. What in Hell was he going on about, some ordeal? 

He looked at the angry (A/N: strike that, INFURIATED) glare on Halo's face and then looked ahead at the mirror in the front to see behind them. Halo was obviously mad. 

"I still don't believe you. Rock and Kenna wouldn't sell us out, mot if they knew the girls and children were in the tower."

"Ah, but they did."

The car pulled to a stop and Duke Red stepped out while two Marduks assisted each other in pulling an angry Halo from the right-side seat. Halo was stubborn but aside that they had her out in a matter of minutes.

"If you don't let me go, I'll-!"

"Like I said, you're not a captive."

"Well I feel like one!"

"I bet your friend Kenna Davis feels like one as well."

Halo gave an angry, surprised, and somewhat worried look Duke Red's way and snapped,

"If you did ANYTHING to harm him, I'll-!"

"I beg your pardon, but I believe you did more damage to him yourself than we did."

Halo immediately turned pale after letting his words sink in.

"H- how in the . . . How in Hell could you have known about that!" she stammered, her eyes widening.

"Rock tributed a few things to us about you. Quite an interesting subject you are. How you argue with him about the rights of robots, how brave. You do know he could have killed you anytime at any one of your little meetings at my command? Be happy I spared you . . . For now." (A/N: Kinky cliche, I know).

A sudden force was thrown to the side of Halo's head, seemingly the butt of a hand-gun, and she was thrown off-balance and to the ground. Duke Red bent over her and whispered into her ear, "And now you ARE my captive."

*~*~*

The water was pooling around them, about an inch and a half deep. Rats were squeaking at their feet and scurrying away at the slightest movement.

Kenna sat against the farthest wall a cigarette held between his thumb and index finger. He blew the smoke from between his thin lips and from his nostrils, thinking of it as one single pleasure in the whole situation. 

Rock, who sat against the bars on the wall to Kenna's right, stared at him, disgusted. He was slumped down, knees apart, his hands held calloused and limp over them. One hand was, however, clamped tightly over his shades. 

Both were beaten pretty badly. They had both received a few slaps and punches from the Duke, though Rock guessed they took a little pity and had some mercy for Kenna because Halo put a bullet through his leg. Rock had been given numerous slaps and punches, far more than he could remember counting. He had a cut lower lip and something along the lines of a bruise forming on the right of his cheek.

And he felt like he hadn't showered in days! The smoke from the burning nicotine (A/N: that you call cigarettes, I call early heart-attack) Kenna had wasn't making Rock feel any better about his hygiene. 

Rock was on the mere brink of telling Kenna he stank bed enough, why make it worse when a high-pitched yelling noise reached their ears . . . Everyone's ears.

"Let me go, damn it! Sit boy, and get your paws off me!" 

Rock nearly face-faulted in the rats and water as he tried to turn around. He made such a splashing noise but was soon watching the seen from his knees, his hands grasping the bars tightly (having dropped his sunglasses). A secondary Marduk was practically holding Halo in the air as she kicked and screamed. She eventually got herself thrown in the water by the two boy's cell. Kenna was now right up beside Rock, his cigarette dropped into the water (A/N: attracting the rats). 

Halo turned to them and crawled swiftly to them, but when she got there she reached her hands through the nicely spaced (yet grimy) bars and gave each of them a hearty (or heartfelt) slap. 

"You dumb bastards, you sold us out!"

Kenna looked dumb-struck, yet Rock looked positively blissful.

"You knew damn well Karen, Fern, and the boys were in that tower!"

"But Duke Red promised nothing would happen-"

"Duke Red ordered the tower be burned. Fern and Karen are smart, they probably took the boys and split." She looked at Rock. "What the Hell do you have to smile about?" Halo looked angrily at him and gave him another slap. "Stupid Marduk. I never should have trusted you! Well, look where it landed you now!" Halo had stood and was towering over the both of them, casting her long, thin shadow and glaring.

Rock gave her his usual smirk and stood as well, coming still taller than her. 

"Tell me . . . Did they scream?"

Halo's mouth gaped open a little bit, her eyes widened slightly, and an eyebrow rose.

"What?"

"I said did they scream?"

"I . . . dunno." Halo was being overcome with fear yet again. She had always cowered at people like Rock, especially when they acted the way he was now. It was like a weakness. He closed his eyes, turned, and began walking back to the far wall. 

"Everyone in that tower should have died. Every single robot-supporting human." 

*~*~*

Duke Red turned.

"But, President Boone! These robots are ruining the cause of society! With them running around the streets there would be no need for humans in Metropolis and you would therefore have no real city to run!"

"Duke Red, how many times must I repeat myself to the governmental selectors? Without our little beneficiaries there would be no Metropolis AT ALL! Better to run a city populated with more robots than humans than no city at all."

"What about the financial aid? Without people there's no taxes and no one gets paid!"

"When humans don't have jobs robots  
do. Instead of humans getting the money, the robots earn it."

"What are robots going to use money for? Humans are living things, robots aren't. Humans need to eat, robots don't. It's the cycle of nature!"

"What about the little group of representatives President Harbin sent over? They'll have to have a say in the matter." 

"I've taken care of them, sir. They're no longer in Metropolis."

Boone chuckled.

"Well, then, Duke Red. . . I believe you have yourself assignment! I want every robot supporter in Metropolis rallied up at the gates of City Hall Sunday morning before eleven o' clock."

"And Harbin's representatives, sir?"

Boone turned to Duke Red with a devious-looking smile chiseled into his wide face. 

"I'll pay ol' Harbin a visit. For those representatives, that statue out there looks pretty lonely."

*~*~*

Since Duke Red decided to be nice to his 'little angel' he decided too lend Halo a room in his manor for a few days, until Sunday morning. He said by then he would have a more suitable place for her to be. 

Halo hardly ever returned to the manor except for meals, showers, and bed. Kenna had been released from his cell to be treated at some clinic or hospital or something like that. Rock had been released because 1) he was Duke Red's 'son' and 2) he was head Marduk. He was, however, not to be seen. He hadn't been seen at the manor since he had been released. 

Back to Halo: She pretty much stayed away from the manor, mostly our in the 'park' or in Zones One, Two, or Three. She pretty much tried to stay away from Back-Alley as much as possible. 

Rock often watched her sitting or sleeping on a bench in the park, waiting for the right time to make Duke Red's announcement to her and then nab her, much like today. Saturday afternoon, crisp air, slightly warm. She sat there, slumped down, her mouth slightly open. Her chest moved softly with her every breath. 

Rock had been standing in front of her, watching, for a few minutes before she finally opened her eyes. She yawned and sat up, then looked into his sunglasses (A/N: How many times does he have to buy a new pair of shades? And WHERE does he GET them?!) and cowered, shrinking back into her little 'mouse' form. It was evident and she had to admit it: she was afraid of him. The only thing in the world she was afraid of and it had to be Rock, head of Marduks. Point a gun at her and tell her she'll die in five seconds, she's cool with that. Let ROCK point a gun at her and tell her she's dead in five seconds and she shrinks and dies before the trigger is pulled. Ironic. 

"R-Rock!" she stuttered. It was now or never, what Rock had been sent to do. 

"Halo . . . I have to take you in. Duke Red's orders."

"But why? What did I NOT do this time?"

Rock ignored her sarcasm and grabbed her arm pulled her with him. He cuffed her hands in front of her (A/N: Big mistake if you ask me ^.^) and began to tug the chain to make her follow. She followed cooperatively. 

Arriving at what they called a precinct, Duke Red was already there. After Halo demanded to know what was going on, he led her and Rock to a cell and sat them both down for what appeared to become a nice long chat.

Duke Red explained to them that Sunday morning fellow robot-supporters were to be gathered in front of the City Hall Gates for a rally. The only thing he didn't explain was that Halo would be hanging from the outstretched arms of the statue of the Guardian of Babel.

Author's Notes: You all will remember Atlas leaning against a statue or something when he got shot and died. Well, I'm sort of taking that statue and . . . er, moving it, so to speak. I'm also re-carving! ^.^ Go me! *coughcough* Anyway, it's an angel with a terrified look on its face and it has outstretched arms reaching toward the Heavens. We all know that the Tower of Babel was thought to reach God (and I would tell you the story but let's not get into it ^.^) and so this angel was the Guardian of Babel. Only it's a statue. Believe me, it WILL serve a purpose . . . I think. And just a fair warning for all you Duke Red fans . . . You're not gonna like the ending ^.^ 


	7. Fallen Reality

Okay, here we go (again). This chapter might be a little shorter than the others and this one might be intensely emotional. Duke Red fans aren't gonna like this or the next few chapters, unless they see him as a maniacal maniac. ^.^ Rock's gonna keep phasing in and out of decisions and good crap like that, and he has his own little written POV somewhere in here. 

Metropolis: Fallen Light

Chapter 7. Fallen Reality

Ten thirty Sunday Morning and the Marduks were standing by the gates of City Hall. Boone was in the building, as was Duke Red. Everything was going according to plan, and my, how well it was working. 

About four hundred supporters were shouting protests inside the gates, seeing their representatives from out of the city lying limp and seemingly unconscious around the Guardian of Babel. Kenna, Karen, Fern, and the boys were lying there, but above them in those large and outstretched arms was Halo.

No one knew why they were like that, but they would soon find out. 

*~*Rock's POV*~*

Eleven o' clock Sunday morning and I was standing on the top step of City Hall. Giving off my trademark smirk I signaled for my fellow Marduks to close and lock the gates. They did, and I moved aside to let my father the Duke walk from those large oak doors. He stood there and let the shouts and protests die down before he spoke.

I didn't want to pay any attention, my eyes kept wondering over to the Guardian. She lie there looking helpless as ever, the bruise still faint on her face. She dangled limply but I had to snap back to attention when father spoke.

"You see what happens when you are overpowered by the non-robot-supportive public? These are the representatives sent over from Japan by their President Harbin (A/N: Harbin isn't the ruler of Japan, just the president of the department that they work in) to come to an agreement on the equal rights of robots."

The crowd gave one big cheer.

"However, with the recent attempted coup-" Rock's head jerked up. That was a lie! These four people couldn't even have tried to attempt a coup, let alone attempt one anyway! "President Boone and I have officially discarded the motion and the equal rights of robots are no longer thought of."

The crowd boo-ed at this. 

"As supporters of robots, I would like you to understand that robots are NOT equal and will never BE equal to humans. As such, robots that are isolated to their Zone but are in a restricted area will be shot or de-programmed."

The rumble of boos, shouts, and even angrier protests than before began to erupt from this crowd of people. I saw Duke Red give his evil little smile and then signaled something to the Marduks that surrounded the place.

"Not that it would matter anyway."

My father, Duke Red, turned and walked back through the doors.

"Sir, what's going on?" I asked.

He looked at me for a moment with his little smile.

"Rock, my boy, you are about to witness what real power over the people is. Watch and learn, Rock. Watch and learn." With that he continued through the doors where I shut them behind him. I turned and saw, much to my own horror, the two hundred or so Marduks shooting into the crowd. This was against the policy. They were killing humans!

"STOP!" I shouted. No one could hear me over the screams and gunfire. I ran through the crowd, getting nicked in the sides by stray bullets quite a few times, and finally came to the Guardian of Babel. 

Who I supposed was Fern (because she wasn't pregnant) was already awake and trying to calm the crying boys. Karen was only just coming around. I continued to wake Kenna. He came around with a start and questioned me.

"What the Hell is goin' on?!" he said over the noise. 

"No time to explain," I replied. I handed him a gun and turned to Karen and Fern. "Can you shoot a gun?" I asked. They nodded solemnly and I handed each of them a gun as well. "Fire at the Marduks alone."

Fern looked at me, obviously concerned. 

"Isn't that against your code of killing humans? And they're your followers as well."

I looked at her and nodded. 

"But Halo put the point across that without robot supporters then the feud between the robots and Marduks would be nothing. That's basically what's happening here." I looked up at the statue and stood. "Just do it!" 

I began to climb, hoping I could get to Halo and wake her before either of us got shot: I had given three of four guns to Kenna and the others, and the one I had left only had a round of six bullets. It would only be a waste to fire. I reached the arms and sat there for about twenty seconds before I shook Halo roughly. She opened her eyes and sat up, looking at me.

"Rock . . . What's going on?" She looked out of the tragic scene around her and turned back to me. 

*~*3rd POV*~*

She saw the scene and turned back to him, jumping forward and holding tightly to him.

"Rock, what's going on?"

He looked down at her and thought for a minute.

"It's just the reality of what the war between humans and robots is really about." She was nuzzled into him, crying again at what was happening. 

"I'm sorry about this, Rock. It's all my fault."

"No, it's not. There's no way you could have started or stopped it. Don't worry about it."

This really wasn't something Rock was used to saying. It surprised even him how much softer he had grown since he met her, because this wasn't like him AT ALL. 

"You're trying to make me feel better." 

Halo looked up at him, her face tear-streaked, her eyes pooling with a fresh flow, for some reason she looked so helpless and lost she was enticing to him. He doesn't know himself why he did it, it just sort of happened. 

He lowered his face and pressed his lips lightly onto hers. His arms had wound their way to rest limply around her waist, while her hands were on the outside of his forearms. 

Rock pulled away, slightly embarrassed. Halo seemed a little surprised and shocked. 

*~*~*

Duke Red sat across from Boone, who was steady puffing slowly on his usual cigar. 

"Red . . . I'm beginning to have . . . Regrets and second thoughts about this little . . . massacre."

"A little late to take it back, isn't it?"

"Well . . . That doesn't mean we can't stop it now, stop the casualties."

"Are you saying that you're disagreeing? That you would rather have the city overrun with robots?"

"Not at all, not at all, I'm just saying we should be targeting the robots instead of humans."

"Yes, but sir, with these supporters still roaming the streets and such the more robots will be made. We can't have that, now, can we? Four hundred less people in Metropolis wouldn't hurt us, financially or publicly, except a decrease in the vast number of robots."

Boone stood and walked to the window, his back to Duke Red. 

"You've got a good mind, Duke Red, good ideas, and I like that."

"Yes, sir."

"I'm glad you're using them to the benefit of the city."

"Yes, sir."

Duke Red silently cocked the gun and brought it above the desk where Boone still had his back turned.

"And I believe that your Marduks are giving even a better benefit and holding control of the city."

"Yes, sir."

Red squeezed the trigger and it went to the left of his spine, straight through him and making a hole in the window, splattering the edges with blood.

Red stood and looked at his fallen form and turned to walk from the room. He had carefully thought this through and knew exactly what to tell Metropolis. 

*~*~*

Rock and Halo were slowly and steadily making their way down the statue, silently, still hoping they wouldn't be shot. Kenna and Karen and Fern were still at the base of the statue, firing at the Marduks, but they were almost out of ammo, and this wasn't a good thing; not even one hundred Marduks had been shot down, and the others were still shooting the robot supporters. 

Author's Notes: I amaze even myself how much you people motivate me to whip these things out so fast! I'm only continuing it because I love you guys, so hey. Okay, in case you haven't noticed, this is WAY OFF from the movie, because you've seen Boone dies quite differently than in the movie and everything like that and blah blah blah. I know, it's a little rushed between Halo and Rock, but there's not many more chapters to do and I wanna finish because I plan on making a Trigun fic, but I don't like to do two long ones at the same time. Anyway, next chapter, Chapter 8. Fallen Guardian *hinthint* 

Read, review, flame me, whatever, I don't care.

Like I said, it's shorter, but the next one . . . Well, I dunno, except again- WARNING: DUKIE FANS BEWARE!

And I just wanna thank some people: Kendra and Xalan, thanks bunches!! I really do appreciate your enthusiasm and compliments!! 

BTW, I might make another Metropolis one-shot, only it's gonna be about Tima or Kenichi, and it'll be from either one's POV, depending on who it's about. So keep a look out for it within the next week or so. Reminder, try and read my poems and one-shot, I need some opinions!


	8. Fallen Guardian

AYAAA! Here comes another one!! Duke Red is gonna get really mean through these last few chapters, so don't flame me, it's just he's the only one I could use. Itai! I think I'll put two or three different character POV's in here. I also changed something: This chapter does kind of have stuff about the Zigguraut in it because of the Guardian of Babel. Rock also gets a little OOC in this chapter [again] but you'll just have to deal . . . But anyway, here's Chapter 8. Fallen Guardian. Enjoy.

Metropolis: Fallen Light

Chapter 8. Fallen Guardian

Rock and Halo were still trying to climb down when the Guardian began to shake. Looking down about two hundred of the remaining supporters were pushing on the statue, trying to knock it over. Reason being: Robot labor. The Guardian now looked over the Zigguraut Tower instead of Babel, and the Zigguraut had been built by the robots. 

"W-what are they doing?!" Halo shrieked.

Fern, Karen, and Kenna were trying to push the crowd off until Rock and Halo got to the ground, but to no avail.

"Just keep climbing down," Rock said. "When the statue falls maybe we'll be close enough to the ground to jump." Rock was probably going as fast as he could with those little scratches in his sides, and now he was noticing how painful they were. 

Halo climbed faster now becoming level with Rock. 

"Are you okay?" she asked. He looked at her and nodded. Before either of them moved again, she jerked the glasses off his face and threw them to the crowd below, then began to climb again. Rock paused, his eyes following her down. He gave a faint smiled but continued down.

The statue did collapse a few minutes later and Rock and Halo jumped, still about twenty feet up. They hit the ground with a painful-sounding crunch, the pains in Rock's sides all but lifting. Halo came unsteadily to her feet and jumped to hug Kenna.

"Thank you!" she said. She said this more for trying to hold the crowd off long enough for them to get down than anything else.

"N-no problem," he stammered. Halo let go and turned to Rock.

"What now?" she said, looking from him to City Hall. 

Rock looked at the gates, Duke Red's car pulling away. He looked back at the people in front of him.

"How many bullets do you have left?" he said, directing the question at Karen, Fern, and Kenna. They all opened the chambers on their guns in unison.

"I got nothin'," Fern said.

"Four." Kenna handed his to Rock.

"Three." Karen did the same. Rock put six of those seven in his pocket, still having those six in his own gun, and loaded six in one of the other guns (A/N: to bring you up to speed, they're all the same type of gun). He handed the gun to Halo.

"Karen, do something with them." He pointed to the three children. "Kenna, Fern, I want you two to look all over Metropolis to find my Marduks. Look for the one named Rafe. Tell him Rock said to post Marduks all over every Back-Alley in Metropolis and to stop Duke Red if he passes through anywhere. Call for back-up if it's needed." He tore the Marduk patch off his right arm. "Show them this if you get into trouble." He handed it to Kenna.

Rock looked back at Halo.

"Halo . . . Follow me."

They all went their separate ways and Rock and Halo headed to the City Hall to find Boone. 

"Why do we have to find Boone?" Halo asked as they ran through the protesters and over dead bodies to the large brick building.

"We find Boone we find out where my father went. And you can also contact Harbin."

"Harbin? But why?"

"If he comes over here with the emperor of Japan or wherever you're from we can end the war with robots a different way other than killing innocent humans."

"So the only reason you're up for stopping the Duke is because robots are more expendable than humans?"

"Robots can be rebuilt, humans can't. I'd rather see a massacre of robots than meaningless bloodshed of innocent humans." 

Rock pushed open the large doors and they ran into the hall, pointing their guns just in case there were guards lurking around.

"Clear," Rock and Halo said in unison. They looked at each other for a moment and then ran down the main hall toward the office and conference room. Halo opened the office door at the same time Rock opened the conference room door. 

"Clear over here," Rock said. When Halo didn't say anything he walked over. Boone lie there under the blood-stained window. Rock walked over to him and kneeled down. "Dead," he muttered. Halo knew Rock was saddened in some way.

"My father did this," he whispered. Halo then walked over to him and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Rock, I know about you and Duke Red. He is not your father. You know how he gets when you call him that, he's told me himself." Rock put a cold hand to hers.

"He feels like my father," he said. He brought himself to his feet and walked to the desk. He picked up the phone and held it to his ear. He handed it to Halo and stood away while she called to alert President Harbin.

Duke Red had shot their president! How could he (besides with a gun) ?! WHY would he? Political power? No, Red already had loads of that. Money? Had too much of that. It couldn't be the fame, he had lots of that as well. 

It was all pretty much a mystery to Rock. 

** Kenna's POV **

We had already retrieved a good many Marduks in that short period of time, but we had not come across Rafe yet. Despite the fact that we didn't know what he looked like we knew he had to be around there somewhere. 

Fern and I turned a corner and stopped. The alley was full of Marduks and two of them turned to us, pointing guns.

"What do you want?" one of them said.

I held up the Marduk patch and said, "Rock sent us to round up as many Marduks as we could and find Rafe." The two Marduks looked at each other for a minute.

"You're gonna have a hard time doin' that."

"Why?"

They baked away and there lie a bloody boy in a Marduk suit, either unconscious or dead.

"What happened?" Fern sad, kneeling beside him to take a look.

"Well, a pregnant lady was runnin' with three kids to a tower on the other side of Back-Alley and she must have spotted us."

"Karen," I muttered to Fern, who nodded.

"She stopped and came up and asked if any of us were Rafe. He came out and asked what the problem was and she said somethin' about Rock needing him to spread us out so he did. Well, that big car came rolling by but Rafe wouldn't let him pass. He pulled out a gun and shot Rafe."

Again, I looked at Fern.

"That must have been Duke Red."

"Well, is he alive or dead?" Fern asked him. 

"Alive, last time I checked."

Fern looked at him irritably but then looked at me. He was blood covered on most parts, and even had blood on his neck. Rather reluctantly Fern put two fingers gingerly to his neck. After a moment she withdrew them and stood.

"He's dead. We've got to go back and tell Rock."

I nodded.

"What way did Red go?"

"Main Upper-level Metropolis."

"Station Marduks all over Upper-level. Don't . . . Don't shoot anything, and that includes robots. Only shoot a human if they're Red's guards and they're attacking you." I looked at Fern, unsure of what I was saying. "And . . . Take Red captive, if you get him. Lock him up in his manor or something . . ."

I turned back to Fern.

"Let's go."

** Halo's POV **

It was like a bloodbath out there. Rock finally got the microphone to work and was shouting over the coms for the Marduks to quit shooting. They stood down and Rock and I finally got out of the building. We tried to save as many people as we could and ordered all the survivors to go inside the City Hall and stay there until further notice. By the time I was able to rest by the base of the fallen Guardian I was mostly covered in blood.

I watched Kenna and Fern talking hurriedly to a couple of Marduks who were guarding the gates and then one of them began to whisper something in Rock's ear as he was checking a child's pulse, his sleeves rolled up. I watched as his face went from relief that the child was alive to anger at whatever the boy was telling him. 

Kenna and Fern ran off to continue whatever they were doing before. I walked toward Rock as he sat back to lean on one hand. I approached him and sat on my knees.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "What happened."

"Just a little change in plans. We have to go back to the manor. My father is probably there and there's a few things I need to talk to him about."

Author's Notes: If you took the time to read the little notice I put up ( which I will put up again as a chapter 9 ) you will see why I will be a bit delayed in writing the real chapter 9 and then so up as far as it will go. But now I have something to say to three certain people:

Thank you Xalan and Kendra! You guys really are a big help to me ^.^ 

And Moro Stagsleap: I know how you feel about Dukie. I've read reviews you've written to other Metropolis fic writers and it's pretty evident how you feel about Duke Red. He is, however, the only person I could use to make the plot really work! It's not intentional Duke Red bashing. But I did put up the notices at the beginning of the chapters just for you because I remember how you like him and everything and I will remember to put it up at the beginning of the other chapters with *unintentional* Duke Red bashing just to make you happy. Ja Ne!


	9. Fallen Security

Author's Notes: I re-wrote chapters 1 and 2. I didn't really like the way they turned out the first time. Leave a review or e-mail me for suggestions (Teela_ErnnLaties00@yahoo.com)

SLIGHT Duke 'bashing' ahead!

Metropolis: Fallen Light

Chapter 9. Fallen Security 

Halo followed Rock all the way through the town, moving through people and forcing Upper-level working robots out of their way. 

Rock wondered why his father would have killed President Boone and not tell him the reason . . . Or not tell him at all. What was Duke Red thinking? Planning? What was he going to do to Metropolis? To the people? To The Marduks? To Rock?

Halo was curious why Duke Red would kill a person of such an important stature, or why he would kill anyone at all, and what his plan had to do with Boone. 

Thankfully the manor was soon in sight, and Halo knew that by looking at his face Rock was relieved as well. Relieved to be able to talk to his father, the Duke. Relieved to be home, if only for a short time. 

Rock burst through the door. 

"Father!" he called out. Halo, a bit timid, was standing away from Rock as though hoping no one could see her. The maid woman that had bid Kenna and Halo entrance to the manor before a meeting with Red came from a door down the hall to their left. Rock turned to her, his face twisted with confusion and slight anger.

"Till, where's Duke Red?"

"He hasn't returned home yet-" Rock was already leaving out the door, Halo watching him. She turned, sighing, to Till and shrugged, then followed him. 

Rock and Halo ran across the grounds of the manor and back into Upper-level Metropolis. They stopped in the middle of the street, nothing around except robots and occasional humans. Halo turned to Rock, watching as he looked around for any sign of the Duke.

"Rock, maybe I shouldn't come with you?"

Rock stopped and turned.

"I mean, what good would I do if you did find Duke Red? I'd only get in your way. And I need to go find Kenna and Fern. Maybe I could help look for Rafe-"

"Rafe is dead." A look of slight sorrow struck Halo's features. She didn't like when humans died . . . humans or robots. "But you're right. You wouldn't be much help to me. I just wanted to talk to him, but I suppose you shouldn't be around if anything did get out of hand . . . Go down Back-Alley, try and find the others and stay there. I'm going to the Tower."

**

Halo found Kenna and Fern stuffing themselves somewhere down one of the Back-Alleys. They had been given food, courtesy of the Marduks. Halo stood in front of them, looking down at them as though they were disgraceful.

"What?" Kenna said. 

"Boone is dead."

"Huh?!" Fern stood, her noodles still on her fork, halfway in her mouth. She swallowed with a very loud gulp. "What d'ya mean, Boone's dead?! He can't be dead!" 

"Don't tell me that, I saw his dead body! His blood covered the whole damn window! Rock and I think - know - that Duke Red shot the president. We just need a motive and a way to place him there-"

"But he WAS there!"

"Yes, but there's no way we could prove it was him. He could have been shot by a stray bullet from the massacre, that place was loaded with windows everywhere."

They all fell silent. Some of the Marduks had turned to listen. 

"We just need to find Duke Red. Rock told me to stay wherever I found you, but he's looking for Duke Red in the tower . . . I just don't know if he's there."

"If Rock told you to stay put I think you should."

Halo wheeled around to face Fern.

"I can't stand around and do nothing!"

"Why not? We have," Kenna said, his mouth full. But Halo was silent. She had found a flaw in her excuse about the stray bullet: The blood covered the window and there no windows in the opposite direction, supposedly where the Duke had been sitting.

But really . . . Why would the Duke go to the tower, if he was there at all? And why kill the president? It wasn't like he was totally against the plans of destroying the robots. He was practically funding the whole Marduk movement!

Halo sighed loudly and began walking slowly back the way she came. Kenna watched her go, but Fern accompanied her.

"Halo, why do you think Red would want to kill Boone?"

"I dunno. He's got everything you can think of, a manor, money, political aid, trust of the people, his own army, and now he gets to run a town."

"Halo, think about it. With Boone dead he's gonna get a load of paperwork, press conferences, interviews for the news, he's going to be pretty busy."

"But if he's got a way to cover up if he did it-"

"That's the thing, you see, no one actually saw him shoot Boone, it's your word against his, and I can assure you with the people against robots and you on their side, it's pretty much a lost cause. You're gonna have to do some digging into this and catch Duke Red, somehow, some way. And even if he did do it and he is covering up his tracks, he'll still have paperwork and everything over Boone's death, and the fact that he's going to run the city after Boone doesn't help the position any more. Go to the Zigguraut, go all over the city again if you have to to find the Duke and talk to him, but you've got to get it on tape."

Halo was suddenly grateful that Fern was a reporter (really one of two reasons she was even there) as she took the tape recorder from Fern. She looked up at Fern, who was actually considerably taller than her.

"Thanks."

"Ah, it's nothing. You'll have to record over the tape that's in there. I record Kenna's snores." Halo gave a small laugh and began to run down Back-Alley and out into main Upper-level Metropolis. She could see the top of the near-complete Zigguraut Tower over the buildings that stood in her way. She wound her way through the alleys until she approached it. 

She stood at its base, staring up at it. It was slightly intimidating, as much as she hated to admit it. It was so tall and . . . tall. That was one of Halo's weaknesses, to cringe in fear at things bigger than her . . . But maybe this was a sign? She wasn't even supposed to be there, she had only disregarded Rock's order, and she knew he didn't like people defying him.

**

The tower was large and Rock had to admit he was a little confused. He didn't even know if his father was here, yet he was determined to prove himself right . . . He hoped he was right.

"Father!" he called. He heard a clanking noise from the room to his left and turned abruptly, holding his gun high and still. A man emerged from the room, holding a large wrench in his right hand. 

"Hey! Watch it, you mind your gun," he said. Rock didn't move.

"Where is my father?"

"Your father?" He looked at Rock for a minute. "You're Rock, right? The Duke, he . . . Uh . . . Well, he told me to tell you somethin' if you came up here but I can't remember-"

"You better remember fast, because if you don't remember soon you won't have a brain to remember with," Rock threatened, taking his gun even higher to point at the man's head.

"Right . . . Right, well, uh . . . Let's see . . ." Rock's hand tensed and the man saw him clenching that gun with his finger on the trigger so tight his knuckles were already white. "Something about a throne r-" But when he had spoken the word 'throne' Rock had taken off, knowing already where his father had gone.

**

The halls were long a dark and she had to navigate her way by running with her hand on the wall. When she came to another hallway she would turn. When she reached an elevator, no matter how long or far she had come, she would take it and go up a different floor.

As she ran along another hallway she saw a faint light beaming dimly through the crack between the door and floor. She walked to that door and got down on her stomach to try and peer inside. All she could see was the metal floor and a pair of boots. They moved forward, then back again, and now another pair came into view. She leaned up on her knees and pressed an ear to the door, where she could only barely hear voices, one of them noticeably being Rock's.

"But, sir-"

"No. You will hear me out. You are not to speak a word of Boone's death to anyone. Not the Marduks, not the public, I don't even want to hear it from you. You will keep your mouth shut!" 

"But-"

"And your friend. That idiot girl that Harbin sent over as a representative, I want her shut up immediately." Halo reached down and pulled the recorder from her coat pocket and pressed the 'rec' button slowly and set it on the floor, the speaker facing the crack. "-probably already told her friends, I want them quiet as well. I don't care of your methods, just get rid of them. Lock them up, kill them, do whatever you can as long as they stay quiet."

"Yes, sir, but-" Rock was struggling to get a word in.

"On second thought . . ." One pair of boots went away and Halo saw a red cloak swing around his heels as he turned. That must be Duke Red, she thought. "Take them all captive. I would like to speak with that annoying girl personally. I believe she may just be the key to Harbin's own un-doing."

Red gave a small chuckle.

"But, sir-"

"What?"

"The throne, sir."

"What about the throne?" Red snapped. Halo could tell that Rock didn't want to say what he was about to.

"For whatever reason you did President Boone in, why not be seated at the throne? Wouldn't it be easier?"

Red laughed loudly this time.

"Rock, my poor boy, you don't even know why this is happening, so you should worry not where I am placed. I did not create the throne to be used by me. In fact, I did not create the throne to be used by a male."

Halo narrowed her eyes in thought. Only a female could activate this thrown, whatever it was. But why? Why did Duke Red care about the throne? Why create is specially for a female? And why kill Boone? Halo was jarred quickly from her thoughts as Red continued.

"Now, Rock, I want you to go and catch the little mice for me."

"Yes, sir."

Halo could hear the thumping of his boots getting louder and snatched the recorder and started running. She was mere feet away when the door slid open. 

"Hey! Get back here!" Rock yelled. Halo was done for. He was as superior Marduk and could easily shoot her down or catch up with her. Normally she would have thought that he wouldn't do anything, he couldn't shoot or come after her, but she knew quite well that he was loyal to his father and would surely, almost willingly, do anything Duke Red told him to do.

She approached an elevator and slammed her fist onto the button. It opened quite slowly and she leaped in, punching in the last number on the scale. As the doors closed she saw Rock turning the corner and come running at the elevator, but she was gone before he got there. 

Halo leaned against the wall and slid down, out of breath. It would be a long way down and she was quite sure the Tower didn't have any stairs. She looked down at the recorder and saw the 'rec' button was still down. She pressed 'stop' and it clicked. When the doors began to open again she saw, through the darkness, the doors of the Tower where light leaked in. She ran for it and had nearly gotten there when she stopped and looked over her shoulder. Rock had run out of the elevator opposite hers. She looked at him for a minute, then gathered herself and continued out. Now all she had to do was go somewhere where Rock, Fern, Kenna, or anyone could find her.

** Halo's POV **

I knew I had to go somewhere where Fern and Kenna couldn't find me, for if I went to them they would get caught, and I had to get away from Rock. I still had my gun in one of my trench-coat pockets, but what use would it be against Rock?

Well, I knew where I was going to go: Zone One. It was easily the most crowded place in all of Metropolis and I could just as easily lose him in there. People knew me very well down there too and would surely protect me from him.

I had to admit, though, I was only half angry at him. Even though he was out to take me captive, I knew he was only doing it because he was loyal and faithful to his so-called father. But I was angry because he couldn't see past Duke Red's outer exterior of 'love' and to his innards where he was really using Rock. 

I was on the gate to Zone One. I had gotten on my knees on the platform to reduce the chance of taking a bullet, but as I looked through the bars I saw he had stopped. His gun was in his hand yet a smirk played across his face. He turned and I saw him running the different direction . . . Not towards the back way to get into Zone One, but in the direction of the Back-Alley.

I gasped suddenly and stood straight up, nearly dropping my recorder in the process. It slipped to the tips of my fingers yet I managed to cling on. Rock knew where Fern and Kenna were. He had told me himself to look in Back-Alley, sure of where they were, and since I got to him so quick they must have been in one of them, and the closest was Back-Alley VII, the place where I had found them. 

He was going to try and bribe me! He was going to try and bribe me into giving myself in! Well, not yet. I wasn't going to give in to Rock and Red. 

I began pleading the guy controlling the gate to make it go faster, and he told me that it was as fast as it went (what felt to me like 2 mph). I slumped myself down against the metal bars and waited until we got near the outer gate. When we were close enough I jumped off the rail and had gone clear out of sight of the gate when it finally arrived.

The first place I headed was to the closest bar. It wasn't really a bar, they just had pool tables and card tables and such in there. When I entered it was so full of smoke I could only barely see through it. I edged my way between the cramped pool tables, making sure that my gun was showing from my pocket for fear of being groped. I stood away from people, searching for the two people I knew could help me. I spotted one and continued forward to him (still making sure my gun was visible).

"Halo!"

"Atlas!"

I approached him with as good a fake smile as I could muster. I hugged him loosely for a minute then pulled away.

"I . . . I need to talk to you . . . Alone." 

He leaned back against the side of the pool table where he had been, grasping the cue stick loosely. 

"What's wrong?" he asked. I didn't wanna tell him in front of people. He turned as someone tapped him on the shoulder to tell him it was his turn. He turned and leaned over the table, looking for a good shot. He began circling the table to continue his search and I followed.

"Where's Parth?"

"Ah, he's somewhere around," Atlas replied, getting ready to take a shot. "But what do you want to talk about?"

I hesitated before replying, in a somewhat small and timid voice, "About the Duke." He had decided to take his shot right when I uttered out the last word and ended up making a Scratch. We watched the cue ball zoom across the table and into the corner pocket.

"The Duke?" he said. He looked around for a minute, then, "Then I guess we'd better go outside." He put the cue stick down and announced he'd be right back. I had a disgusted look on my face when the buddies he had been playing pool with sent stupid smirks towards me . . . I didn't wanna know what they were thinking.

Atlas and I finally emerged from the smoke-laden billiard hall and he directed me toward a room. He opened the door, flicked on the light, and let me in before shutting the door behind him. He looked at me, a somewhat grave and worried look on his face.

The room was laden with around five or six extra chairs. He took one and I sat across from him.

"What's this about?" he said sternly. 

"I . . . You know who Rock is?"

"Duke Red's son, leader of Marduks, why?"

"I've . . . I should start from the beginning. You're not going to like this, but . . . You really should trust me, okay? Promise you won't interrupt or get mad and yell or anything, okay?"

Atlas paused then nodded. I took a deep breath and started to explain.

"I work for a secret sort of society and it's run by a man named Harbin, and, well, we support and help robots." Atlas narrowed his eyes slightly. "I was sent here with Kenna, Fern, and Karen, but you knew that, but what you didn't know is we were sent here as representatives for that secret society to persuade the Duke to allow robots more freedom than they have, or send some out of Metropolis to try and achieve the freedom that they want somewhere else." I knew Atlas wasn't too happy with me now. 

"Well, our first attempt didn't work, but I wasn't as worried about it as I should have been, and I let myself sort of become . . . friends . . . with Rock." Atlas's mouth twitched at the corners, but he kept his word and didn't say anything. "Duke Red and President Boone ordered a rally of robot-supporters to gather at the City Hall, and there were a few hundred humans there, and Red ordered the two hundred or so Marduks to begin a massacre, which had been what the rally was supposed to be anyway.

"I didn't believe it myself, but almost all of the humans died, and Red and Boone did this for political power and to have more control over the city, because, in their minds, the less robot-supporters the better. Rock called off his Marduks after Red and Boone were in the Hall, yet in that time Red killed Boone off, and we don't have a motive yet." Atlas had raised an eyebrow, and this was making me quite nervous of his reaction when I had finished. 

"Rock and I went and searched for the Duke. Rock told me to depart from him and find Fern and Kenna while he searched Zigguraut tower for Red. I found Fern and Kenna, and Fern told me to go back after Rock and try and speak with Duke Red. When I got there, Rock had already found Red in something called the 'throne room'. I knew their conversation was confidential, so I had to eavesdrop and I recorded their conversation."

I began to dig around in my coat pockets for the recorder. I pulled out my gun and dropped it on the floor, then I began to pull out a number of other things until I finally came across the recorder. I held it up so he could see.

"I can't really explain what was said, you'd have to hear it for yourself." I placed the hand-held recorder on the chair beside mine and pushed the 'play' button and it began to read out Duke Red and Rock's 'confidential' conversation.

When it was finished Atlas looked at me for a minute, then looked back down at the recorder, then back at me.

"And what do you want me to do about it?"

"I . . . I want you to help me, Atlas. Rock . . . He's not secure anymore, it's like he doesn't know what he's doing yet at the same time he does . . ." I just confused myself! "He knows where Kenna and Fern are. I was hoping you could round up a few people and help me confront Rock, because I can't do it alone. He's . . . he's too loyal to the Duke and easily manipulated by him. He could kill me off and I would have failed Harbin and the society, and the robots."

Atlas waited for a moment, thinking, his eyes still slightly narrow but his brows furrowed. I watched him, my eyes imploring. 

"Halo . . ." I had been holding my breath this whole time and I still hadn't let it go. "I am against the robots, but also against the Duke. As you are my friend . . ." He looked at me, hesitating (again). "I will help you." I took a breath and smiled faintly. I put all my dumped belongings back in my pockets and stood up. Atlas led me out and as we walked back past the pool tables, where his disturbing buddies began whistling at me as I walked past. I must say I was rather tempted to pull my gun out, but I didn't wanna cause a scene.

Author's Notes: Okay, that's it. Chapter 9. Enjoy? Hope so. I'm going to go and try and write chapter 10, though I must say I think I confused myself. I'll figure it out, in the meantime, keep yourselves busy by reading my other stuff (if you haven't already . . .) and PLEASE try and find and read my story at FictionPress.com (Pearly Gates, by Moonlit) and remember to review/email me with suggestions to this or any of my other work. ^_^


	10. Fallen Senses

Author's Notes: I know, I know, I just kinda stuck Atlas in there near the end, and I didn't say anything about him before, but you gotta admit, it's better than sticking in some kind of original character of my own than someone you already know! Right?

Chapter 10. Fallen Senses

** Halo's POV **

Atlas and I had been on the lift for about ten minutes before we finally reached the gate to Upper-level Metropolis. 

"Where are we going?" I asked him as he fixed his cap and the gun strapped around his torso and on his back.

"Well, it depends, really. If you want to do something about Rock then we have to go find Parth and Shmi."

"What do you mean by 'do something about Rock'?"

"That's what I mean. We could take him captive and interrogate him about the tape, we could hold him to lure the Duke in to talk to him, or find out where your other friends are." He looked at me out the corner of his eye. "What do you want me to do?"

I hesitated, thinking, then answered, "I guess take him captive and interrogate him, then use him as a ransom for Red. But don't hurt him okay?"

"I'll try, but if he's hurt it'll be his own fault." I didn't say anything after that so he continued. "He'll probably be alone so two or three people will suffice. We need to find Parth and Shmi."

We stepped off the lift and I followed him down the sidewalk. Rock apparently knew something about this 'throne' but what was its secret? What use was it to Red? Why did he program it for a female? Did he mean its use to be for a human or a robot?

I was snapped out of my thoughts, however, when Atlas stopped and I bumped into him from behind.

"Why'd you stop?"

Atlas didn't answer. He was looking down an alley to his left. I followed him gaze to see two figures walking through the dark gloom of the alleyway. I could just barely make them out as two men and they apparently knew Atlas because he turned, smiling, to them and said, "We were just about to go looking for you!"

I recognized one of them as Parth. The other must have been Shmi.

"Can you fellas do us a favor?" 

"Anything for you." Parth was directing this at me. I never really liked Parth. His manner could be rather repugnant at times. And he wasn't the most attractive of men. But then again, neither was Shmi, and both looked like they could use a trim and shave. 

With some help from me Atlas explained my rather desperate situation and with a quick agreement from them he told them to split up and search Back-Alley, all twelve of them, and if they found Rock take him to Back-Alley VII's restaurant. When they both had gone I turned back to Atlas.

"What are you going to do?"

"WE-" he emphasized 'we'. "-are going to search Upper-level Metropolis for Rock." I nodded my agreement to cooperate and we continued walking. We hadn't actually explained to Shmi and Parth the real reason why we wanted Rock taken captive but they seemed quite eager to do it. I supposed Rock was more infamous around Metropolis than I thought.

** 3rd POV **

Rock had been wondering around Back-Alley XII for quite a while. He knew why and he suddenly had this awful feeling in his stomach, like he had eaten a ton of lead, every time he thought about it. 

First off, he was disobeying his father. Second, he felt as though her were betraying Halo for some reason, even though he had abandoned his search for Kenna and Fern, and he felt like he was sort of betraying himself . . . Had he grown soft?!

Surely not . . . But then again, he had stopped his search because Kenna and Fern were Halo's friends and he wouldn't really want to hurt her. He had disobeyed his father's orders to make her happy. But then again, why would he have started following his father's orders in the first place (A/N: talk about mood swings)? But he had a code, as a Marduk, and if he was helping Halo that would be like helping robots because she was a supporter. Marduks' duties were to destroy robots, and if helping Halo meant helping robots then surely he wouldn't be fit to be called his father's son? a Marduk, let alone the leader?

But where were all these thoughts coming from?! How could he think, let alone act, to disobey Duke Red? It was out of the question! He would have to continue his search, no matter how reluctant he was. He was loyal to his Marduks, Metropolis, and the Duke. He would have to.

Stepping from the dull and dimly lit entrance of the twelfth Back-Alley, he came out into the city, Upper-level Metropolis. He would have gone farther beyond the arch that led into the Back-Alley but as soon as he stepped forward he was knocked forcefully back into the stone wall.

**

Halo looked over at the door. He was in there with Atlas and the others, but she had only a faint clue of what was going on in there. She knew she should be in there interrogating him herself, but Atlas had kept her out for her safety, but they both knew very well that at this point he was virtually harmless.

She walked the short distance to the door and sat on her knees, leaning her head in the press her ear against the door. She heard a noise sounding oddly enough like flesh-on-flesh. She knew now that someone had gotten back-handed.

The thumping of Atlas's boots could then be heard as they neared the door. Halo rushed to sit in the chair next to the door so she wouldn't look suspicious. Atlas looked at her and beckoned her inside. He forces Parth and Shmi outside before shutting and then locking the door. Atlas leaned against the wall by the door so watch as Halo began to circle Rock, inspecting him. He was sitting in a wooden chair with his hands tied behind him, Halo stopped in front of him. She reached inside one of her many pockets and pulled out the recorder.

"Rock, I want you to answer some questions for me," she said to him softly. He was looking down at the floor, his head bowed, so Halo got on her knees to peer into his eyes. "Rock, didn't you go to the Zigguraut to find Duke Red and confront him about President Boone?"

Rock gave a small nod. Halo closed her eyes and sighed. She stood and put the recorder on the ground then pressed the 'play' button.

"-probably already told her friends, I want them quiet as ell. I don't care of your methods, just get rid of them. Lock them up, kill them, do whatever you can as long as they stay quiet."

"Yes, sir, but-"

"On second though . . ." Red was walking away. "Take them all captive. i would like to speak with that annoying girl personally. I believe she may just be the key to Harbin's own un-doing." Red then chuckled.

But, sir-"

"What?"

"The throne, sir."

"What about the throne?" Rock was hesitant before replying.

"For whatever reason you did President Boone in, why no be seated at the throne? Wouldn't it be easier?"

"Rock, my poor boy, you don't even know why this is happening, so you should worry not where I am places. I didn not create the throne to be used by me. In fact, I did not create the throne to be used by a male. Now, Rock, I want you to go and catch the little mice for me."

"Yes, sir."

Halo turned off the recorder. There was more after that, her footsteps and panting, Rock shouting after her, from when she forgot to turn it off until she remembered in the elevator, but that was all useless. She stopped and rewound it.

"Rock . . . I know you're loyal to the Duke but you gotta tell me, what the 'throne'?" The room was silent for a moment. "Rock, I need to know this."

"Why don't you ask my father?" he said with a sneer. Halo stepped back and allowed Atlas to back-hand him again.

"Answer the question."

"I don't really know what the throne is. My father created it for his own purpose, something he never explained to me. All I know is it can be used to activate the weapon that was built on top of the Zigguraut but I honestly don't know why."

"What weapon?"

"I don't know. I've only ever heard catches of conversation here and there-"

"I don't believe him," Atlas said, walking behind him. "He's not telling us something, he's hiding something."

"Be patient, Atlas. Rock, why is the throne only accessibly to females?" Rock finally looked up, tearing his gaze from the floor.

"I don't know. I always ask myself why my father not just take the throne and he said it wasn't created for him, even though he built it, or designed it, or whatever."

"What is Duke Red planning?"

"Dunno, but considering, he's probably cleaning the city of the filth that infests it-"

Atlas sent another had across Rock's cheek.

"Sensitive, are you?" Rock sneered.

"No, but you won't talk that way of Halo. You know damn well of her work and you and I both know what you meant by that."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot, the massacre was stopped before all the worthless supporters were killed-"

"Stopped by you, no less!" Halo shouted abruptly. "I would thank you but I think the urge to shoot you is overpowering that thought!"

Rock turned pale but said nothing. Halo turned, closed her eyes, and took a big breath.

"Atlas, we're done here. Tell Parth and Shmi to guard the door, he doesn't get untied and they don't go in without a weapon and without locking the door. No one but them is allowed in."

They left and Atlas informed Parth and Shmi as Halo left the secluded building. She had been waiting outside when Atlas finally came back.

"You left this, I think you might need it," said Atlas, giving her the recorder she had left on the ground at Rock's feet.

"I should have asked him where Fern and Kenna are," she said quietly.

"Actually considering where he was going when Shmi found him I don't think he found them."

"I don't think he felt how he acted back there, but we can't really be sure, can we?"

"What do you mean?"

"Never mind. Let's just go find Fern and Kenna, okay?"

"Whatever." Atlas adjusted his gun across his back then fixed his cap again.

"Atlas, if you don't like robots then why are you helping me?"

Atlas looked at her for a minute. "Well, like I said before, I don't like Red, despite the fact that he doesn't like robots either, but at least you're trying to help both sides instead of resulting in the war. I guess it's too late for that, though . . . And I think you're starting to grow on me."

"Halo blushed slightly and smiled faintly. She hadn't known Atlas for long but when they had first met it was when Halo had barged in on Atlas's meeting with a couple of buddies. Halo still didn't know what the meeting was about and she didn't have the nerve to ask him. She felt it wasn't important. 

"We're going to find Duke Red, right?" asked Halo as they walked.

"Yeah. We gotta tell him about Rock."

"But do you think he'll bite the bait?"

"He probably knew you were in the Zigguraut listening in on his conversation. He probably thinks you'll ask Rock questions. He'll wanna take Rock back before he spills confidential or classified information about the Zigguraut or his plans."

"But if we tell him we already interrogated Rock and know what he's up to he won't want Rock back."

"We'll say he was unconscious when we left and he had better give us information before we go and beat it out of his loyal little puppet . . . Simple threat."

"He's probably got Marduks at the manor or Zigguraut or wherever he is. If we threaten him then he might get us as well." 

"Don't worry about that. I'll deal with them if there are any. We just need to get some new information and maybe we can prevent this all from happening . . . Or what we think could happen."

"But what about Fern and Kenna?"

"Oh, right, well . . . I'm sure they're all right where they are. We've just had a change of plans. We'll go find them later."

"Halo sighed. Thy would go and check the manor first. When they arrived that same repulsive-mannered maid admitted them and led the way to what appeared to be some sort of office.

"I'll fetch Duke Red. Sit down, but don't touch anything." She said this rather snottishly. When she closed the door Atlas took a seat in one of the two chairs in front of the desk while Halo walked around behind the desk to look at things on the shelves behind it. The pictures all depicted a blonde woman, blonde girl, or a slightly younger Duke Red. Some showed just the girl, just the woman, both, the girl and Red, the woman and Red, but all of them had either blonde and none depicted Rock.

"That's my daughter," said a voice. Halo turned and saw Duke Red closing the door behind himself. Halo had picked up a picture of the young child and had been peering at it closely when Red had come in. Halo put it back and sat down. So did he.

"I noticed there are none of Rock?" Halo asked. Red didn't answer.

"May I ask what business have you here?"

"We need to talk about your son, sir," Atlas said sternly, almost in a loathing-like way.

** Halo's POV **

"It wasn't that bad, was it?"

"Halo, come off it. We didn't find out anything new and we just decided to give Rock back to him."

"Well, we already know quite a good bit to try and pick apart our little mystery, right?"

"I suppose so, but . . . I dunno." 

"Atlas, why are you still here?"

"You want me to leave?" Atlas seemed slightly hurt and puzzled.

"No, not really, I just thought you would have left by now because you already did what I asked you to."

Atlas's cheeks turned red and he turned and continued to walk.

"Answer me!" Halo pleaded, running to catch up. 

"I have my reasons," he said firmly. Halo decided to let it drop and said nothing more on the matter.

"So where are we going now?"

"I suppose we could go and find Fern and Kenna, if you wanted." Halo nodded and looked down at the ground. They supposed Rock hadn't found them yet when Shmi found him, so they were probably around Back-Alley VII still. Or at least, Halo hoped they were. They might have gone off to look for Karen and the boys, but she couldn't be sure. Maybe Karen had contacted them some how or gone to seek shelter.

Halo sighed as they entered the arch that was the entrance into Back-Alley and Atlas began to call their names. Halo sort of weekly joined in, but at least they got a reply. There was a loud crash of metal and tin as trash cans went crashing to the ground. Halo turned swiftly and had her gun pointing; she hadn't even realized she had whipped it out of her coat pocket.

Atlas laid a hand on her shoulder, indicating for her not to fire. She watched him walk by, toward the fallen trash cans. He approached them slowly and had taken his rifle gun from around his back and had it tucked under his armpit, ready to fire. He kicked a can out of the way and something large but black with the shadows that engulfed it went flying toward the arch. The figure reached the light and Halo caught a glimpse of the red shirt and the black symbol: Rock.

What had happened? How had he gotten out? Atlas and Halo hadn't even informed Shmi and Parth to release him yet. Atlas and Halo began to fire at Rock, even though he was supposed to be freed they hadn't given the order. They didn't hit him but Atlas knicked the wooden door just beside his hand. It probably gave him splinters, still not much damage. 

"Damn it," Atlas swore as Rock began to run into the swarms of civilians in Upper-level. He had gotten away. "He probably went to the gate."

"But the gate leads to every Zone. How will we know which one he's gone to?"

"We'll just have to take a look around, then, won't we?"

Author's Notes: It's short, but it works. I really am sorry about just abruptly putting Atlas in, but to tell you the truth it's not so abrupt ^_~ Review and read on!


	11. Fallen Tasks

Chapter 11. Fallen Harmony

"Oh, great. What now?"

Atlas threw his gun back around himself and turned to Halo. He hesitated for a minute before replying. "Well, we really need to go back and see if Shmi and Parth are okay."

"What about Fern and Kenna?!"

Atlas gave a low groan and rubbed the nape of his neck. "But . . . They're probably fine!"

"But Rock was just down here! He could have had them done in or something!"

"We don't know that-"

"And we won't know that unless we look!" Halo hissed.

"But if he got out he could have done something to Parth and Shmi!"

"You go look for them, and I'll go look for the others," said Halo, trying as best as she could to keep her voice down. Atlas sighed irritably.

"Fine." He began to stalk off toward the rotted door and slammed it behind himself. Halo stared angrily at the arch for a minute and then set off in the opposite direction. She looked down at her gun, which was still in her hand. She had fired off only two bullet and now only had four left. She would have to use them more wisely. 

Still looking down at her gun she stopped. Atlas was probably right, Fern and Kenna were smart, they were probably okay. Besides, from what Red said, even if they were captured not much harm would come to them. She finally gave in and ran back toward the arch. She opened the door and shouted out his name.

"Atlas!" She began to make her way through all the people when she finally saw Atlas moving through the arch that led to Back-Alley VIII, where they had taken Rock after meeting up in the restaurant in Back-Alley VII. Halo ran to catch up with him and finally did. He turned to her, not in the least bit surprised.

"I figured you'd come around." Halo raised an eyebrow and Atlas decided to drop it before pushing open the door. No one really went down Back-Alley VIII, so it was virtually empty. As they approached the small building that had housed Rock as a prisoner, they saw the door had been beaten down from the inside. Cautiously they stepped on top of it and came into the room with all the chairs. They had been knocked over in what appeared to be a scuffle. But this isn't what attracted their attention. What caught their eye was two bodies across the room, one breathing in sharp gasps and the other lying still on the floor: Parth and Shmi.

** Halo's POV **

"What happened?" Atlas whispered, more to himself than anyone. I looked at him as he tried to help Shmi up into a sitting position. He was still alive, but barely clinging. What looked like multiple stab wounds had punctured his skin and ripped slits in his jacket, which was covered in his blood. No telling what had happened. Parth lay silent and still on the ground. I looked over at him and wondered if he was dead. 

"Atlas . . ." Atlas wasn't listening to me. I stood and checked on Parth. He was in fact dead. I took a step back. "Atlas . . ." Still no answer. "ATLAS!" He jerked his head up. "H- he's dead," I told him, my voice quivering. He looked back down at Shmi, who had grasped his collar and was pulling him down to whisper in his ear. I couldn't hear what he said but I knew it wasn't good, because I moment later he fell limply in Atlas's arms, Atlas with an odd expression on his face that I hadn't ever seen there before. Atlas gently put him down and stood straight, his eyes wide and a terrified look etched upon his features. 

"W-what's wrong?" I said, unsure of myself or his emotional stability. Whatever Shmi had said seemed to take a toll on him. "Are you okay? Atlas?" He looked at me for a minute before muttering, "Come on," and we began to leave. I was still unsure of myself, like I was out of place. 

I didn't know where we were going until we began to head in the direction of the gates. Apparently we were now going to search for our escapee. Or, now more precisely, our accused murderer. 

When we finally stepped off the gate into Zone One, I turned to Atlas again.

"Why didn't we keep going?"

"Despite all the robots and the fact that he probably has the urge to shoot them all down, Zone One is the most crowded. It's a lot easier to hide in." I nodded and looked forward. Unfortunately, Zone One seemed to be more crowded than ever be for. But I decided that this could be used to an advantage as well. The more people there was the more chance we had of someone seeing Rock.

"Should we split up?"

"Yes, you're right. I'll go look, you ask around, okay?" I nodded again, keeping my eyes on him as he turned. His face had turned abnormally pale. This made me even more curious as to what Shmi had said. I would have to ask later though, because right now I had a job to do.

To Rock's disadvantage, I knew about everything there was to know about Zone One and people knew me very well because, of course, most of the population here was robots and unlike most Metropolitans, I was on their side. 

**

I think I went through just about everyone I could see and still had found nothing. No one had seen Rock go through there! I wondered if Atlas was having any such luck. I was just about to go off and find him when he came running toward me.

"Have any luck?" I asked as he bent over, his palms on her knees, trying to catch his breath. Not too long later he looked up and answered,

"I got a lead but nothing solid. You?"

"No. Nothing at all. No one has seen him come through here." Atlas stood straight. "Maybe he went into that bar over by the gate?"

"It's all too easy . . ." He turned and looked at me, unsure of my reaction. "But I guess we could try." I followed behind him a few feet as we began walking in that direction. I was sort of hoping someone or something would come between us so that I'd have a reason to walk away. Even though I suggested it I didn't really wanna go inside the bar. 

But, you know, we can't always get what we want, and I know that all too well. When we got inside the bar I, of course, immediately wished I hadn't even thought of suggesting it. It was full of smoke, even though the vast majority was robots, and it was very cramped in there, though I felt like I could have been the only one to notice. Even Atlas seemed as though he either a) didn't care b) didn't notice or c) was so used to it he felt like he was walking through an empty room. 

But no, I couldn't be that way: having to wade through robots and drunken humans, and the alcohol smell was intoxicating, but I guess that's why they call it alcohol, isn't it? I managed to follow Atlas and approach the bar unscathed and I gratefully took a seat on a stool. Atlas stood and questioned the barkeep if he had seen Rock pass by. After a minute he looked at me and asked, "You want some coffee?"

"No, thanks, coffee's overrated."

I saw Atlas give a small grin, amused grunt, and then pay the bartender for whatever he was getting. He came back to me and forced a glass into my hands.

"What's this?" I asked, looking down at it.

"Water," replied Atlas, taking a quick gulp of whatever he had.

"Well, then, what's that?" I was talking about his drink. He looked at it for a minute. I already knew what it was, I just wanted to know why he got me a water instead of a beer. I sighed and drank my water without another word. Truth be told, I didn't really much care for a beer at the moment. 

"So," I said after a few minutes. "Rock come through here at all?"

"No. I'll just have to follow my lead for a while, I suppose."

"What's the lead?"

"Well, some guy with a hot dog stand told me Rock had gone through to the Other Side, but the Other Side is so big we'd need an entire search party to look for him down there." 

Even though I had asked the question I was only half paying attention. I had been wondering for a while what Shmi had whispered in Atlas's ear, and I figured now was as good a time as any to question Atlas about it. Only problem is I didn't have the guts to mention it.

**

Rock looked over his shoulder. They weren't back there. They weren't following him. Good then. This gave him just enough time to get everything ready. 

He approached the arch that led into Lower Back-Alley I and quickly walked through it. His Marduks had been carefully stationed back here to await his command. He only hoped that they were still there. 

Rock quickly spotted about ten or twelve sitting around a fire. He approached them and they stood, saluting, at the ready. Rock ordered two away and gave the rest his new command. He only hoped the disguised Marduk had given that troublemaker Atlas the false information.

** Halo's POV **

"Atlas, can we be sure that Rock went down here?"

"For the last time, Halo, I'm positive he said Rock headed this way."

"But Lower Back-Alley I's back entrance is down here, he could have gone through there. Not to mention that Back-Alley I has the access to the other eleven Back-Alley tunnels!"

"You're right, but . . . Let's just take this one at a time, starting with Other Side, okay?"

"Fine, whatever, but . . . Atlas . . . Can I, uh, ask you something? I mean, you don't have to answer if you think it's none of my business, I'm just curious and-" I noticed Atlas had raised one eyebrow, an obvious sign of irritation. "Oh, uh . . . Yeah. Well, I was wondering . . ." My courage was slowly draining, but I had to get this out. "IwaswonderingwhatShmisaidbacktherebeforehedied." I took a deep breath. Atlas stopped.

"What?" He was either appalled by my question or didn't understand what I had said. 

"I was . . . I wanted to know . . . What Shmi said back there, before he died and . . ." I stopped. Atlas was apparently thinking this through. He continued walking, though.

"You're right, it's really none of your business. Just don't worry about it." It wasn't my business, but I still wanted to know. Unfortunately, my courage had officially leaked out of my ears, or at least it felt that way, and I didn't think I could have asked again. 

Not another word was said until we approached Other Side. Other Side was sort of like a really big void only there was a really lot of pipes and stuff and it kind of artificially heated or cooled the Zones. There really was nothing down there except the pipes and I think a sewer ran under it down into Zones Two and Three. 

"Atlas . . . It's kind of . . . creepy down here, if you know what I mean."

"No, I don't, but I can see where that's coming from. The pipes are a little loud." Atlas was scanning the huge pipes across the top of Other Side while I looked around the smaller ones deeper in for Rock. Nothing so far.

"Atlas . . . What do you think the Duke's weapon is?"

"I don't really know. Knowing the Duke it's nothing good. And with the money and the political power he has, I'd say he's pretty much got the scientists to build him a pretty destructive one."

"Hmm . . ." Halo looked over toward the Lower Back-Alley I arch-way. Atlas was slowly taking the gun from around his back and staring at the door as well. We both turned, however, to the right as a wrench came falling across one of the pipes and landing yards away from my feet. And then came what I supposed to be a pipe worker falling maybe four stories to his death. He hit with a sickening crunch on the steel metal floor. Atlas looked around at the pipes again while I rushed to the worker's side. 

As I confirmed his death (okay, I already knew he was dead, but given the circumstances I've seen before it could have been worth checking) I looked up for whatever had happen to him. A worker guy doesn't just drop his wrench then throw himself four stories to meet his death on a huge plate of steel. There had to be someone up there, but the first person that came to my mind was Rock.

As Atlas fired a shot and a figured bounded swiftly down the pipes I was proven wrong. It was only one of his Marduks, pointing a gun at Atlas. As I looked up again I saw nearly a hundred of Rock's Marduks lining the pipes on top, pointing guns down, and then at the bottom just standing there. Where was Rock?

"What should we do with them, sir?" asked the Marduk holding firearms on Atlas.

"Don't harm the girl. Do whatever you want with him, but don't kill him yet." Out of the dark doorway of the Lower Back-Alley I entrance came Rock. He seemed to have gotten himself cleaned up pretty good and had even gotten a new pair of those shady sunglasses. 

I was still kind of staring at him a little bit when I felt two Marduks grab my arms and lift me up. I was glaring at him when I was carried past him and through the door leading to Lower Back-Alley I. 

"Don't you dare hurt him," I hissed quietly at Rock. He only sneered evilly at me and then he disppeared around the corner of the door as the Marduks took me in.

Author's Notes: I don't like the name of the chapter and once I think of a better name I'm gonna change it. But anyway, this one is short too but I simply had to let it fall a little bit before I gave too much off. Besides, it fits better this way. R/R!


	12. Fallen Control

Author's Notes: I've become quite fond of writing in Halo's POV ^_^ 

Chapter 12. Fallen Control

** Halo's POV **

It was abnormally dark through the Back-Alley I area to which I was taken to. I didn't know why I was brought here and I wanted to find out- and soon- but my thoughts were cut short when I heard several approaching footsteps and what sounded like a slight scuffle. Some of them stopped to where only one set remained and they became closer until I could make out the tall, lean figure of Duke Red.

"Duke Red," I murmured. He gave a small laugh. 

"Yes, it is I. Surprised to see me?"

"What do you want?"

"The tape."

"Tape?"

"Yes, the tape, the one that you recorded my conversation on." I gazed up at him from where I had been thrown. He was looming above me with his hands folded behind his back. I had to think of something, and quick. I couldn't give the tape back to him. It was the only evidence I had, the only thing that could be used to stop the meaningless war with the robots. 

"Tell me now," Red hissed, baring down on me. When I said nothing he snapped his fingers and two Marduks came from the gloom that was the dank Back-Alley. They each had hold of Kenna and Fern, their arms held tightly behind their backs. Strangely enough, I recognized them as being in with the other Marduks that had courteously given them food.

I didn't want to do what I was about to, but I had to, in order to keep my evidence-

"She's got the tape." I said it slowly so that he wouldn't get suspicious of me. He turned a little and looked at Fern.

"You lie."

"Nope, no lie, she has the tape. I met up with them in one of the other Back-Alleys a while back and we traded. Unfortunately, though, I kind of . . . well, I recorded over the conversation with . . ." I had to think quick. I knew Fern always carried tapes with her in her own coat pocket, but I had to remember something on one of them, particularly the one in her pocket at the moment. ". . . With his snores. You can ask them if you don't believe me." I pointed to the Marduks, who looked puzzled. Duke Red looked at me, then snapped his fingers again and the Marduk holding Fern began to rummage through her coat pockets until he pulled out a tape. Fern was looking at me doubtfully. I sure hoped she had recorded Kenna's snores on that tape as well.

"Give me the recorder." I looked at Red for a minute, unsure, and pretended to be looking through my pockets for it when really I was ejecting the other tape and closing it again. 

"Here," I said with a somewhat fake-sounding yawn. I forced it into his hands and he took it. This was a lie, of course, and I only hoped he fell for it. I went to the Tower after I met up with Fern and Kenna, of course, but the Marduks didn't know that. Or at least I hope they didn't. What felt like a billion years later he finally finished confirming that my lie was truthful but still didn't let me go. Instead, he announced he wanted to speak with me . . . alone.

** Atlas's POV **

They had taken Halo away, although I didn't know why, and so now I was stuck with Rock. If it was just to stall then I could wing it, but if they expected for a gun show then I was already dead and gone.

He just stood there, smirking. Apparently he was waiting. For what, I dunno. I didn't wanna know. Or did I? Whatever it was, it was something very bad, because Rock was nearly smiling, and when he purely smiled, it was best to run very far into the opposite direction. This wasn't an option for me.

** Halo's POV **

Duke Red circled around me. He made me kind of nervous, to tell you the truth. I thought he might strike at me any moment. Though he hadn't tied me up I still felt as though I was a prisoner. He had me taken to some building near where I had seen him moments before. Of course Marduks were guarding Kenna and Fern and Atlas was too far away for me to yell for his help. Oddly enough I felt some assurance that Duke didn't want to harm me in any way. Or, at least, I hoped so.

He stopped in front of me (I had been seated in a wooden chair) with his arms behind him. He gazed down his oddly large nose at me, his look suggested slight disgust, yet I knew he was only examining me. Though I was a bit self-conscious about my appearance I didn't care now. He was probably thinking about how uncivilized I looked or something, but really, no socks and a trenchcoat with missing buttons and rips along the hem really didn't suggest that it was obvious I was a robot-supporter . . . Right? I mean, not all robot-supporters are poorly dressed and not everyone is as high as him to care about their physical appearance. But I think I'm rambling inside my head! Back to the present ordeal.

Anyway, he was still making me slightly nervous so I asked him what he wanted to talk to me about. He gave a small laugh and took one step back. He watched me for a minute, though I stared back.

"What do you think?"

"Think of what?"

"Everything. Metropolis. Marduks. Robots. My plans."

"Your plans suck, robots are free creatures created and destroyed by you, meaninglessly, you're Marduks act like they're constapated, but I must say Metropolis is wonderful, though I think it could use a better form of government, a new president (because we all know what happened to the last one), and maybe it's just my opinion but it could certainly use a better duke."

I knew I was only shooting my mouth off again, but I couldn't help herself, really. I took a deep breath and looked hard at Red. He was chuckling again, which was annoying me.

"You don't take me seriously, do you?" I said hotly. "You think I'm nothing! You think I'm powerless against you! You think you'll dominate everything because I'm just one little person, one little expendable person and if I kick the bucket then there's no one to say that you ever had genocidal or world-domination or whatever plans!!!" I was nearly screaming with anger (and sarcasm) and had leapt to my feet. One of the Marduks had burst through the door to see what was going on.

"No, no, I have everything perfectly under control," Duke Red said silkily, as though we were having a peaceful and civilized conversation. Peaceful my butt.

"Control? Control?! That's everything to you, isn't it?! As long as you're in control of everything! The people! Metropolis! The whole continent! The whole damn planet!" Okay, I was going overboard. It was all pure sarcasm now. "FERN! KENNA! I'M COMIN'!" I shouted. I ran past the Duke, knocking the Marduk out as I knocked him hard against the metal door, then running out into Back-Alley. The other Marduk had come as well and he ran past me, without so much as a glance. It hurt to be unnoticed.

"Get her, you idiot!" I heard the Duke say, but I was already halfway to Fern and Kenna, who had been tied up. Together, with me in the lead, we ran back through the door leading into Other Side and slammed it shut behind us. Fern and Kenna helped me to lock it and when we turned we were faced with a shocking sight.

Atlas hadn't been harmed [yet] but he was apparently being threatened by Rock. But now, as everyone saw that we had come, running and panting, through that door and bolting it quickly after us it was quite clear that we had evaded the others and they weren't finished with us yet.

"Oh, shit," I heard Kenna curse behind me as the full realization of the situation hit him.

"Little late for that," I muttered to him. "You're just a little slow, buddy." My voice hit a high pitch as I hit the word little. I would have said more but I had to turn my head back as someone collared me. I could feel myself being lifted slightly off my feet.

"Back again, are you?" I heard a voice sneer lowly in my ear. Rock was holding me up.

"Yeah, miss me?" I tried to sound sarcastic again but having to choke that out didn't really do much. He smirked and dropped me, where I landed weakly and fell backwards on my bottom. He gave that high kind of laugh and reached inside my coat pocket to bring out my gun. Damn. There went my protection. Rock ordered two Marduks to take Kenna and Fern again, but as they came near I had to give Fern credit.

"Hey! You ain't gotta hold us or anything, you took our guns remember?" she said snappily at Rock, who gave a small chuckle. The Marduks took hold of them anyway, Fern glaring. Rock grabbed me, however, by the arm and heaved me from the ground to drop me near Atlas's feet. I looked up at him, where he raised a brow at me, then grinned. 

"Get up," Rock ordered. I didn't want to follow orders like the dog he apparently though I was, but I did stand and (though this is off topic) I noticed how short I was and how little I felt. 

"Rock." Duke Red had been let into Other Side by some Marduks and was walking toward Rock. "Thank you for capturing her for me again. She seemed to slip right through my fingers." Rock stood straight and saluted.

"Yes, sir." Rock . . . I had stupidly thought he had befriended me, or vice versa, and apparently he would rather kill me than disobey or show disrespect to his father. Damn it. I looked angrily at Rock then began to back up slowly and watch Red as he came forward. My pace got faster and faster until I turned and began running from Other Side back into Zone One. I heard Rock yelling 'follow her' and all sorts of other commands at his Marduks, but I figured I could go somewhere where no one could find me . . . Like the Tower.

I was nearly out of breath, panting so hard my throat was itching, but the Tower wasn't far ahead so I had to keep running . . . Though I knew they were no longer behind me. I wanted to get there, I needed to get there. I had to hide, I had to hide from them . . . From the Marduks, from Red . . . from Rock. 

"Bastard," I choked out. I was barely aware that I had actually spoken it, not really meaning to. I knew that in only a few seconds I would probably be jogging, my legs weak and wobbling like jelly, my stomach churning, and my face red and hot and covered in sweat. I felt like I could die from lack of oxygen as I pushed the doors open, stumbled in, and collapsed in the middle of the large, marble hall. My legs were tingling and my knees were probably squealing in pain from the weight I had just pushed on them, my hands were balled into fists as if I had been beating on the floor, and I was choking again, trying to breath. 

Then I fell forward. My cheek was plastered against the smooth marble and the heat from there and my rasp-y breathing from my open mouth were fogging up the floor. I tried to force myself up from the elbows but they gave way as well and I thumped back to the floor. 

"Ouch," I whispered lamely after a few seconds. Well, I decided that if I couldn't stand up then I'd have to crawl. So I began to make my way to the stairs. Then I thought about it and turned and headed toward the elevator. I was almost there when I heard someone shouting. At first I thought it was a Marduk or someone like that so I tried as best I could to turn around and look at least a little bit intimidating, which, might I add, only got me plopping back down on my butt at the bottom of the 'up' 'down' switch beside the elevator. Then I looked around and saw above me but to my left someone leaning over the side of the railing (from the stairs) and shouting at me.

I crawled on my hands and knees so he could see me better and sat back. "Could you help me? I was sent here by Duke Red with some information. He told me to wait . . . uh, near a throne room or something like that for him to arrive there as well, but I was told to hurry and, well, now I'm all weak . . . I've fallen and I can't get up!"

I really was trying my best to look genuinely clueless and/or helpless and he seemed to be buying right in to it. He helped me and after only a short time he had me seated on what felt like a metal bench. He sat near me and I expected him to question me. I guess I figured I could weasel my way through more false explanations again, but I was surprised to see that he only leaned back against the wall with his arms folded across his chest, his eyes closed and his worker cap pulled low. It kind of reminded me of Atlas.

But that's silly. I couldn't be thinking about things like that now anyway. I had to come up with a plan, and good one, and fast. Well, first of all I had to regain some strength. I suppose I could take the light he had set down on the floor and find my way to the throne room or go and find that weapon. It had to be in the Zigguraut, right? I mean, where else was Duke Red gonna hide a weapon that was still going unnoticed? Or I could go and spy on people and try and gather more information or . . . something . . . 

I disrupted my own thoughts when I yawned . . . Loudly enough to rouse the worker out of his doze. He looked at me for a minute and I looked right back, my eyes half closed. I was sleepy, it was evident in the way I was slouching against the wall. I had run all that way and was out of energy, having actually run all day earlier. I yawned again and took my coat off, bundling it up, and put in on the end of the bench. I set my head on it and prepared for a little nap.

I looked over at the worker dude who was still watching me and murmured, "Don't wake me up . . . I'l' come around when I'm ready," and decided my eyelids were too heavy to hold open so I closed my eyes and felt myself just kind of drifting off. 

Author's Notes: Okay, I didn't really wanna end the chapter but I figure I should save the next part for the next chapter. Makes sense doesn't it? ^_^ Thought so. Besides . . . I yawned when I said she yawned . . . and I'm yawning now . . . So good-night . . . Or, well, after I upload.


	13. Fallen Zigguraut

Chapter 13. Fallen Zigguraut

Halo didn't get very far into her nap. After only a few moments she heard a loud sound, like a buzz saw, cutting through the air. She could feel small tremors running through the wall that she had leaned against and sat up to peer around the dimly lit room.

The guy had gone already, she suspected he'd be back any time now to ask if she was telling the truth or something, and she really hoped that Red didn't find her just yet, at least not before she contacted Harbin. They had to have a phone in this Tower, right?

Halo sighed and reached for the door. She opened it slowly and silently and peered around both corners. When she was sure no one was around, she slipped out and closed the door, twisting the knob so it clicked without a sound. She began to run down the hall, her shoes making very little noise. The lights on the ceiling had been lit, the brightness casting her shadow behind her. She would stop every few minutes and peer inside seemingly empty rooms for a phone or something, or stop to listen for footsteps. But one time she stopped because she had heard a voice.

She leaned in toward a door to her left, which was left ajar, and peered through the tiny space to see the back of the guy from earlier holding a phone to his ear.

"Yes, sir, she just showed up here and told me you sent her . . . Yes, sir, I know, sir, but . . . Yes, she's still here . . . Keep her there? But why . . . ? Yes, sir, will do, sir."

With that he hung up, and all Halo could do was curse and swear quietly to herself as she began to run in the direction she had been heading before she had stopped. When she looked over her shoulder she saw that guy come out of the room, look at her, and then shout, "Hey! Get back here!" and then follow her. No matter how curious she was about whatever the Duke wanted to talk to her about, and no matter how bad she wanted to know about the 'throne', she wasn't about to let herself get captured for it, not until Harbin knew about at least part of Duke Red's plans. Not even Halo knew the full extent of his power or the whole of his plans, or what they were for and why, but she knew that when Harbin heard about this he would send over reinforcements, whether this was about robots or not; this was about his own leaders, so it was a big deal about the society. 

Halo rounded the corner to her right. She felt foolish doing it; this worker guy most likely knew this place better than her, so if she was headed for some place where he could corner her, he knew about it and was probably laughing at her for being so stupid. But why was Red this desperate to catch her?

Aside from that, Halo needed to get back to that room with the phone. It had been left open from when that worker had left, so it shouldn't be that hard to find, but the question was: how will she get back to it? She would have to use force for it, so she stopped, turned quickly and reached inside her coat pocket for her gun just as the man came around the corner as well, but then she realized . . . her coat had been left on the bench in the room where she had slept! 

Too concerned with that problem to notice the guy had come rushing right up to her, Halo was stunned when she felt him belt her around the waist and to the ground, feet from where she had stood before. He got up and she was left gasping on the ground for a few seconds before he pulled her to her feet and forced her back down the corridor and into another one. When she finally realized what was happening, he had shoved her into a room and locked it as well. She turned to beat on it, yelling, "I. Need. My. Coat!" saying each word with each time she beat with her right hand. 

When there was no sound, no response, and definitely no coat, she sighed, turned and went to look for a place to sit down. That's when she noticed that this was the room that Red and Rock had been in before, when Halo had recorded their conversation. The floor pattern, if you could call it that, was certainly the weirdest one she'd ever seen; different silver hues, dimming into black and grey. But ahead of her was what appeared to be a giant chair.

"Could this be it?" she whispered to herself, walking forward slowly, not blinking and her eyes not roaming anywhere. It was such a sight to see, this chair, it's cool, silver metal surface. But she stopped. "Why? Why is this throne so important?" It was the only reason she stopped. Why could this chunk of chair-formed metal be so important? How could you rule a city, let alone a continent or whatever, just by sitting here? 

Halo was jarred from her thoughts when the door behind her opened and entered Duke Red. He closed the door behind himself, yet Halo heard muffled voices outside. He stared down at her again, a faint smile chiseled onto his hard features.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he said softly, walking past her to stand looking up at the throne.

"No. Nothing like this could be considered a beauty."

"And why not?" Duke asked as he turned to face her. His soft tone was making Halo nervous.

"Because you plan to use it as a weapon. Nothing like that could be considered beautiful." Duke Red laughed.

"You hardly know. You think this affair is about robots, yet only hardly. You shouldn't be worried about it. You shouldn't know about it, but I guess that that was Rock's fault." He emphasized Rock's name and Halo could sense the tone in his voice, one that clearly displayed the utter loathing he felt for his adopted son. 

"But, sir, even if it's just the tiniest bit about destroying robots- or robot supporters, for that matter- then yes, it is my business, my concern, and my first priority. You loath robots, but I can't understand why-"

"It's hardly any of your business!" Red snapped. "But . . . If you must know, there is only one- and will only ever be one- robot that I will think of as an equal, and that is my daughter."

"Daughter?"

"Yes. Well, not my real daughter, of course, but the one I expect to sit on the throne."

"Robot?"

Red chuckled. "I had a mad old scientist to build a replica of my daughter. Unfortunately, she's not finished yet, and due to a minor incident, I no longer have a scientist. She cannot sit upon the throne when she is not complete, it would ruin everything. That's why I have chosen a different person to sit upon my throne. It will, of course, take some time to get her ready, but I think it will work out quite nicely." Red laughed loudly this time.

"Who-"

"Who do you think?" Halo's brow twitched, as if she were to raise it, but she didn't move. "Of course, something could go wrong, but my team of scientists should suffice. I trust them not to screw this up."

"But . . . Sir, what's the point? Why sit on the throne? What does it DO?"

"You shouldn't worry about that just yet."

"But . . . I don't understand. Did you mean you chose me to sit on the throne?"

"Only one of relation would be able to sit upon it."

"Relation?" Halo said, confused.

"Yes. The artificial Tima was of relation because she was a robot herself. You are of relation because a co-worker and what I understand to be a former lover of yours is at least part robot now." Rock had obviously told Red about Kenna.

"But . . . But why not . . .? Why . . . not . . ."

"Why not any of the others?" Halo nodded, not being able to choke out the words to finish her own sentence. "Because, my dear, no one is as close to robots as you are. You are more devoted to robots than either of the other two females who work with you. One was only here as a reporter for your own city. The other never came to your meetings with Atlas or your meetings with me. And you said it yourself that your first priority was the robots, did you not?" Apparently Rock had told Duke Red about Fern and Karen as well, but how did he find about about her meeting with Atlas about their follow-up rebellion?

"How . . . How did you find out about the meeting with Atlas?"

"I thought you would have known that Rock and I had sent in Marduks to infiltrate Atlas's little system, suppress the rebellion before it even started. Honestly, a person clever as you should have known that."

"But you knew that I was against the rebellion, you should have known that I could have suppressed it myself!"

"Yes, I figured that, but at the time I didn't trust you to be able to suppress a whole army. You really can't blame me. At that point I didn't know. Besides, I had had Marduks in the system for two months before you even met Atlas."

"Met him? What, were you spying then too? How could you have known when I met him?"

"Marduks, my dear, Marduks. But it's all part of the plan. Really, you're starting to slack. Rock was perfect, too. You didn't even suspect him! He did well in covering Boone's death. He's just so loyal, the loyal little puppy. He would have done what I told him to, believed what I said. Honestly, he's so gullible." Red laughed again.

"You're corrupting him. You're corrupting the whole damn city! You killed off Boone because he was starting to think you'd gone nuts, thought that your plans were just a little overboard. So you killed him. Bang. He's out of the picture. I guess you wanna kill Rock because you loath him. He knows too much anyway. If anyone ever got through his thick skull and he realized what you really are, he'd probably tell someone your little plans. Your Marduks told you I told Kenna and Fern about your little conversation with Rock, so to shut them up you'd kill them too. Then kill Atlas to suppress the rebellion. By the end of the day Rock went on a killing spree, he'd gone nuts, killed off Boone because you know his prints are everywhere. He threatened you too, you only narrowly escaped his deadly rampage. He killed off the leader of the rebellion and two people who he supposed were the leader's accomplices. And by dusk you're still the town hero."

"Very clever."

"My friend's a reporter."

"One little flaw."

"Yeah? And what's that?"

"Rock would never disobey me."

"That's true, but I guess being tied down to you like a stake in the ground is what he wants and deserves. But that's heartless."

"Yes, I suppose it is, but you're right: It IS what he wants. He's probably kill you now, if I wanted him to. But no, I need you. The weapon will be finished soon. Shall I escort you to see it, the power you will be able to control?"

"No! It won't be my power! I refuse to sit on that throne, I refuse to be corrupted by you, just as you did Rock."

"I worry not. You will come to your senses soon." Halo turned and darted for the door. Red didn't move, only watched as she threw open the door. Two Marduks were there, apparently waiting, but she darted by them. They raised their guns, but Red ordered them not to fire. Halo continued to run until she tripped and fell to her knees. Ahead Rock came running with four other Marduks, and behind her the two from a moment ago following behind Duke Red, who was walking calmly with long, slow strides.

They all stopped, Duke Red continuing on. He stopped beside her.

"You're powerless without this. Don't you want to experience such great power? You could rule the world like this!"

"Where is Atlas?" she said quietly. Rock smirked but said nothing. Halo shot up in an instant and had struck Rock across the left jaw. He narrowed his eyes behind his glasses as she stared angrily at him. This wouldn't have mattered anyway. Red had batted him around so much he either didn't feel it or was so used to it not to care anymore. "WHERE'S ATLAS?!" she practically screamed. It echoed lightly around them, but after a moment Halo felt Red's hand on her shoulder. She turned her head slightly to look at him from the corner of her eye.

"Anger. You are run by your emotions, like the way Tima was to be. You and my daughter are so much alike, you belong on the throne. My dear, you could use your anger to activate my weapon. You could rule the world!"

"I don't want to rule the world, dammit! I just wanna get Atlas and my buddies and GO!"

"I'm afraid that won't be happening soon," Rock said, amusement very clear in his tone. 

"I refuse to sit on your throne until you let me see him!" Halo threatened. Rock only smirked, but it was quickly wiped from his face as Halo snatched a gun from the Marduk behind her and pointed it at Rock. "I said, I refuse to sit on that damned throne until I can see Atlas! And he had better be alive when I get there!" she threatened again. Red looked at Rock and nodded and Rock began to lead the way. Halo had been thinking about the throne and what she and Duke Red had talked about she didn't even know the way they were going, she was just kind of following Rock, absent-minded. It wasn't until Rock had pushed her into a room that she noticed Atlas standing there, his hands tied behind his back.

Rock looked at a Marduk and jerked his head toward Atlas, signaling for him to untie the ropes. When he did, Halo threw down the gun and ran towards him. His cap lay at the ground near his feet and his gun had been taken (which was understandable). She immediately threw her arms around him and whispered in his ear, "Are you okay?"

She pulled away and he croaked, "Yeah-" but he didn't get to finish what he was saying before a bullet went searing into his left side. He fell forwards back into Halo's arms and she fell slowly to her knees under his weight. 

"W- w- wh . . . Atlas?" she whimpered. Her right hand had become covered his blood, clutching him near his fresh wound. She looked up at Rock, her eyes swimming in water. She looked back at Atlas. "Atlas?" Her voice had become a mere whimper, high-pitched. Then she looked back up at Rock. "W-w-w-why?" she questioned.

"He was alive when you got here, you didn't mention keeping him that way." Halo would have normally lashed out at him and beaten him to a pulp right then, but she just didn't feel like it as she was more concerned for Atlas. He was only barely alive, she could feel it, but still appeared to be hanging on. She reached over and took his cap from the ground. She was still holding it when two Marduks began to carry Atlas away. 

Rock hoisted Halo up from her position on the ground and began to steer her back to the throne room, under Red's orders. She hoped Atlas would be all right. She hadn't much time to think of this, however, when they were suddenly back at the throne room. She expected to be dragged back in, but Red had a different plan. Rock let go of her and Red pushed her along in front of him. They continued to walk past the throne room, Rock and a few Marduks following several steps behind them.

"Now that you have agreed to sitting on my throne-"

"I saw Atlas, but I'm still not sure I wanna do this . . ." Halo would've said more but was afraid of their response.

"Well, when I show you what you will be controlling I'm sure you'll change your mind."

"Hmph," was Halo's only reply, as her arms were already crossed again. After several flights of stairs and two elevators, they finally came to a large lift, much like the one that led into Zone One. Red ushered Halo on there and waited for the Marduks before starting up. When they stopped again Red and Halo stepped off and into another long corridor. At the end they approached another flight of stairs and when they climbed them only one door was across the landing. Red looked at Halo, as if to confirm that she was ready for such a sight, and then pushed open that door.

They had arrived on top of the Zigguraut, the open-domed portion of the city surrounding them. They sky was a vivid blue, something Metropolis had rarely seen before, and the larger, more industrial building surrounding them, though none of them living up to the Zigguraut. The sides of a retractable roof had been pulled away to reveal the city, though it hadn't retracted all the way. But looking ahead were about five scientists holding clipboards, turning knobs and dials at a large console, or messing around with what appeared to be a very large cannon of some sort. 

"Could this be the weapon?" Halo whispered to herself. Duke Red had apparently heard her because after a moment he replied,

"Yes, it is. Care for a demonstration?" Halo couldn't keep her eyes off of it. It was beautiful . . .

But what was she saying?! No, it wasn't beautiful, it was an item of war, a killing machine, what was beautiful about that? No, nothing was, but . . . she couldn't . . . help herself! 

The scientists had had goggles pulled back in their hair, so as Duke Red announced this machine to be fired, they pulled them down over their eyes and continued their work. Duke Red took two pairs of goggles for himself and Halo, the Marduks, they supposed had some as well. Halo stuffed Atlas's cap, damp with tears, in the pocket of her shorts where it stuck out some. She then left the goggles to her face. When they were secure, Duke Red announced they were ready and it began to charge up. 

Halo watched as it lit up, an odd, dark color against the red of her goggles. The weapon shot a beam into the air, going up quite a distance and then breaking into several smaller beams and shooting across the sky. The blue of the sky began to darken and it seemed that the clouds were disappearing. After several moments it stopped and everything turned back to normal.

Red and Halo removed their goggles, Halo turning to the Duke.

"What was it? What did it do? What's it for?"

"It's just a simple little device my scientists and I designed. That beam was pure radiation. It wasn't at full power of course, it's not finished. It's going to get rid of the robots. I can't run a filthy city, can I?"

"Yes, you can, you just refuse to! I still don't understand why you hate robots!"

"Controversy, my dear." Red chuckled. "No, I suppose you'll never understand, even if I told you."

"But if you were going to do this then why try to disband the people in the rebellion? It's pointless!"

"It's simple. We wouldn't want manifestation in our streets, would we? Besides, Atlas's rebellion was trying to rise to a higher state than my Marduks, thus, they were against each other. They would have rebelled anyway, causing a much bigger threat upon my city."

"Threat? If they were already killed off how would they threaten you?"

"An uproar like that wouldn't go unnoticed. It would bring immigrants here, such as yourself, and I would no longer have the trust of my people. Maybe you should have taken in more politics before you came here in the war effort?"

"No, this isn't politics that I'm here for, it's the slavery and mistreatment of a more delicate race! If I sit on that throne, I'll end up doing the exact opposite of what I was sent here to do in the first place, which was to abolish the slavery of robots, not destroy them altogether! I'm a supporter, for cryin' out loud! If I sat on that throne it would completely defeat the purpose!"

"What do you want more, the happiness of robots, or of humans? A race that can be rebuilt, or an in-expendable one? Something that has no meaning in life but work, or something that has more meaning in life than it's counterpart, the robots?"

Halo looked at Red, her eyes widened. "That's a trick question. No one can answer that question!"

"The population of Metropolis can."

Halo took a deep breath. "Robot supporters think that humans and robots are equal. I am a supporter, therefore that question cannot be answered by me."

"By you. You are just one person in the world. The rest of Metropolis is over five hundred thousand-"

"Yes, and half of that is robots!"

"You will change your mind soon," Red said, turning and walking back toward the door. He stopped, said something to Rock, and then continued. Rock stepped forward toward Halo and forced her back through the door, down the stairs, and onto the lift. 

"Where are we going?" Halo said after a few minutes.

"I said you would change your mind, you will change it soon, for your time is coming . . . My time is coming. A time where Metropolis will be free of the filth that infests it! Free . . . of the robots." Halo knitted her eyebrows together in worry and thought. She didn't want to do this, she didn't want to sit on the throne. Her objective in this town was to free the robots or make an agreement with Red or Boone. Well, all failed with Red and Boone was dead. There was no alternative for her but to return to Harbin and the society, a failure in Harbin's plans, but this wasn't an option. 

Atlas had died, though he would have died by Rock's hands anyway or in the rebellion, Kenna and Fern had probably been done away with, and there was no telling where Karen and the boys had gone to. That suddenly sparked some hope in Halo's mind. Maybe Karen had contacted Harbin already and told him that something was definitely up, since she didn't know about anything but the massacre. 

As the lift stopped Halo was forced back out, though this was practically pointless as she would've had to cooperate anyway, and then back down those staircases and elevators and all that and back to the throne room. The Marduks stayed outside, Rock stood inside by the door and Red stood side-by-side with Halo.

"There it is," Red whispered softly. Halo was definitely not going to do this. She refused to sit on that throne.

"No."

"What?"

"No. No, no, no, no, NO. I'm not gonna sit up there. Besides, it looks cold and . . . hard. I'd imagine it's very uncomfortable."

Duke Red sounded another laugh. 

"Rock!" Rock stood straight, saluting. "Go get my little package, will you? And hurry it up."

"Yes, sir." Halo noted a sudden drop in his voice, as though he were irritated, didn't wanna do it, and didn't wanna do it because he didn't like it. 

"What is it?" Halo said, looking up at Red.

"You shall see. Until it arrives, I'm going to tell you something. You see, the reason I detest- despise- robots is because a robot killed my daughter, Tima. After that, I adopted Rock-"

"Where you abused him and twisted him to fit your own ways, turning him into a killing machine, a monster-"

"To destroy robots. Not just any robot, of course, I set some limits, but now I want them gone. You've heard the story of the Tower of Babel, have you not?"

"Yes. God didn't want them to reach the heavens, so he struck down the tower and cast diversity over the people, giving each their own language so they couldn't communicate to rebuild the tower."

"Yes. But you see, His plans have failed. We have rebuilt the Tower, only it now serves a slightly new purpose. God didn't mean for these robots to be created, so we are striking them down, flushing them out, destroying them, just as He wanted."

"Atlas told me about this. Your plan will fail."

"And what did our rebellious rebellion leader compile in you, eh?"

"H- he told me that the same thing will happen to the Zigguraut because it's not supposed to end this way. It's all wrong, and if God wanted the robots flushed out and destroyed he would do it Himself."

"I see your Atlas is a strong believer. However, despite what Atlas has said, it will end this way, and I will be successful!" At the end of his sentence the door opened slowly and Rock stepped in, walking aside to admit the entrance of a small girl. Or, well, what appeared to be a small girl. Her blonde hair was flushed around her pale face, framing it perfectly, her large green eyes seemingly blank. Red turned to her, then looked at Halo.

"This is my daughter, Tima."

"She's a robot . . ."

"Yes, she is."

"But . . . I thought you said she wasn't finished."

"No, she's not, and I hadn't a scientist to finish the job. But despite that, she's still fit to do things, but let's just say . . . She's not up to the task of sitting upon the throne. She doesn't speak well now, but she's learning quickly." Halo had been staring into her blank eyes. They had gotten creepy, so apathetic . . . It was sad.

"How could you do this . . . To a robot?"

"What do you mean?"

"She can't be happy this way . . . And then, if the throne is used, she'd be the only robot left. I'd hate it if I were a robot. You apparently, as a father, don't give a damn about her. I suppose you felt so sad when she died that you just had to have her back, so you created a replica so you'd be happy, but do you think she's happy here? I was told a long time ago that when people die there's a reason for it. I don't think when your daughter died that that meant you should build a replica to sit on the throne and destroy all the robots. Or do you think that's your message from God?"

Red looked slightly puzzled, but his face relaxed into a small smile.

"Clever, but you still seem to not understand. Only a little while longer and the radiation will be charged up again, and then you may take your throne and use its power."

"Why not take it now?" piped a small voice. They both turned to look at Tima, who had obviously been the speaker. "Why not sit upon it now?" Red walked over to her and kneeled down and began to explain something to her. But Halo just turned back to the throne. She didn't want to look at it. She didn't want to think about it. She didn't want to consider sitting upon it and being its ruler, but it was hard . . . it was all so . . . enticing. But no, she knew that seeking the equilibrium of power was wrong, he was using her as a pawn, he wanted it all to himself. Why do this? It was only to his benefit, what was in it for her?

NO! She couldn't think this way! It was wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. But . . . Somehow, without her wanting them to, her legs began to take her forward. NO! her mind screamed out. No! Stop it! Don't! But they wouldn't stop. The stairs were in front of her now and there she stopped. She was still. She gazed up at the throne, seemingly twice her size, and she began to climb the steps. 

The floor beneath her was trembling, starting slow and getting faster. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she heard Red yelling for Rock to check the control room to make sure everything was all right. Then the floor began to crack and break under her feet, she heard Red calling Tima's name, and small scream, a small whimper, then she turned and faced Red and Tima, and sat down. Her arms were lain on the arms of the throne and she leaned back, her feet coming inches off the ground. 

She no longer had control of herself. Inside her mind, she screamed for it to stop, for the pain, for the power, for all of it to stop, to go away and leave her alone, but she knew it wouldn't. She was screaming for someone to help her, for Atlas to wake up and come to the rescue as he did before. But her body had taken possession, as if she were possessed by some outer mind, some spirit. Looking out into the room she saw the floor collapsing, but Red laughing maniacally with Tima still in his arms, and then the throne began to rise up and she was sent into darkness. The wind was whipping her hair around her face, she felt it stinging her cheeks, and her shirt was whipping around her stomach. But she was in darkness, complete darkness, there were no sounds, she only felt the wind and her hair and clothes whipping at her body, and she could see, feel, the darkness closing her in, sealing her into eternity, a lonely eternity, but she couldn't hear it. The darkness bore down on her like death, and how she wished it would come. Nothing felt like this. Duke Red had promised her power, though she knew she didn't want it. Something about this throne had driven her towards it, however, and now she had to accept her fate as a pawn of the city, of the world, of the power-hungry Duke. 

But instead of feeling that power it was pain. All that had been promised to her was pain. 

Still in her mind she was screaming feebly for something to let her out, for it to stop, for a glimmer of light to shine through. But that feeble little voice soon faded and she gave in to it. She accepted it as it was, it was all she could do. But then she felt it, saw it, tasted it. A burst of green light right before her eyes . . . Green, the radiation. She had activated the weapon. Now all Metropolis was doomed. The robots wouldn't survive, the humans wouldn't survive without the robots. It was just the way it was. They had grown so accustomed to their non-living counterparts that without them the humans were to die. But Halo was guilty. The robot-supporter had done it all, killed the robots, the humans, the city. It was all her fault . . .

And then there was nothing, nothing except the pain in her. That's when she realized that the power of the radiation was too great. The throne was crumbling beneath her, the sharp metal sending shoots of an even greater pain through her legs. It was all too much to bear, so she screamed again, only this time it was real. She had screamed, the noise coming from her, it wasn't just in her mind there. 

"NO! NO! Stop it! STOP!"

And then it did, but she could feel herself rising rapidly, feel the air whipping through her, her hair being thrown back. Then she burst through the ceiling and saw the now-gray sky, scorched with the power of the radiation, her eyes half closed. She felt the end coming, but it wouldn't come just yet, she just knew. The pain was excruciating, but she didn't really care anymore. She was hurtling through the air, oblivious to what was happening below her, the Zigguraut falling, destroyed, beaten, and Atlas was right; the Tower had fallen once more. 

Author's Notes: FINISHED!! 


	14. Walking Over the Dead

Sorry this is last-minute, but I thought it'd fit in with the end of the story and everything :)

Through the night air

The Tower clock sounds.

The Heavenly Zigguraut

Approaches the ground.

While everyone sleeps

The Devil will reap

Those crying from the Zigguraut Tower.

How tall it once stood,

Now level with Hell.

Thought to reach God,

Its reign subdued.

Blood pooled the ground,

Dried, crimson red.

Debris of the Tower

Cover the dead.

Bodies, lifeless, litter the ground.

Light of the sun

All coming around.

People wake

To this tragic site.

All this blood shed

By Zigguraut's height.

Zigguraut spread its wings

To the people of this place

Who thought of the Tower

As a one-way to God.

It took its flight

To the Heavens above.

Its once solemn plight

A death it will shove.


End file.
